With hundreds of bills awaiting review and many categorized as urgent, some lawmakers yesterday suggested suspending interpellation (question-and-answer) sessions in the legislature for the fall session to save time.
The session will already be short as the year-end elections are right around the corner.
The idea drew mixed responses. DPP lawmakers agreed on the need to speed up legislation but opposition party members said that to do so would encroach on legislative oversight, which is protected under the constitution.
"Let's halt questioning the Cabinet for the forthcoming session to avoid partisan feuding that may stymie legislation and the government as well," KMT lawmaker Chen Horng-chi (陳鴻基) said yesterday.
Chen, who is seeking a second term as a southern Taipei City representative, said that worries over colleagues abusing the prerogative for political ends propelled him to put forth the measure.
Under the constitution, the lawmaking body may require the premier and Cabinet ministers to come before the legislature or its committees to answer questions concerning public policy and draft legislation.
Opposition parties primarily use this right as a weapon to criticize and embarrass the government and bring their own views before the public.
"Fifteen bills must be passed before the country gains accession to the WTO in November," Chen said. "An additional 43 are needed to translate the conclusions of the Economic Development Advisory Conference into public policy."
The fall session will begin on Sept. 18 and break up at the end of October for the legislative election. The review of next year's budget is expected to dominate the remainder of the session when the legislature reconvenes on Dec. 2.
Chen said he will bring up the issue during the KMT caucus meeting on Tuesday and maintained several colleagues shared his view.
But majority KMT legislative leader Lee Cheng-chung (
Lee said his party will give top priority to about 50 bills left over from the previous session that have the backing of all legislative caucuses.
After the transfer of power last year, the most frequent question Cabinet officials have had to answer is whether they considered themselves Chinese or Taiwanese.
Singing songs has emerged as an increasingly favored interpellation tactic. KMT lawmaker Yu Hueh-hsia (游月霞), for instance, gained national recognition after pressing former premier Tang Fei (唐飛) to become "hard" in the song I'm a Little Bird.
The ruling DPP, obligated to defend the administration, welcomed the proposal to suspend the interpellation.
"It is well-advised for the legislature to temporarily do away with the interpellation, controversial as it sounds," DPP legislative whip Tsai Huang-liang (
He said the Cabinet has turned in over 400 pieces of draft legislation, most of which must be enacted before the lawmaking body adjourns for the December elections.
"Though the practice would abridge the right guaranteed to the legislature, I believe the public would understand," Tsai said, adding that he will seek support for the proposal during cross-party talks tomorrow.
He is likely to run into strong opposition, as both the People First Party and New Party have condemned the idea as ridiculous.
"The right to interpellation, intended to keep the government in check, is so important that it must not be disposed of, however briefly," New Party legislative leader Cheng Long-shui (鄭龍水) said.
He contended the legislature cannot intelligently review next year's spending plan if it is deprived of the privilege. Echoing the concern, PFP legislative leader Chou Hsi-wei (周錫偉) said there are many other means by which the legislature can enhance its efficiency.
"Some uncontroversial bills can be put directly to second and third readings," Chou said, adding that cross-party negotiations were more relevant in expediting the legislative process.
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The Central Weather Administration (CWA) is set to issue sea and land warnings for Tropical Storm Krathon as projections showed that the tropical storm could strengthen into a typhoon as it approaches Taiwan proper, the CWA said yesterday. The sea warning is scheduled to take effect this morning and the land warning this evening, it said. The storm formed yesterday morning and in the evening reached a point 620 nautical miles (1,148km) southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, moving west-southwest at 4 kph as it strengthened, the CWA said. Its radius measured between 220km and 250km, it added. Krathon is projected
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