Disapproving of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) idea of starting a fresh round of constitutional reform, PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) yesterday said a nation should not amend its Constitution so frequently and thoughtlessly, as if it is revising "school rules."
"We should be careful and plan comprehensively when dealing with the question of constitutional reform, rather than making amendments at the spur of the moment," Soong said.
Despite six rounds of constitutional reform over the past decade, the country has not become more stable, but is facing more and more problems, Soong said.
He said the most serious of Taiwan's problems is its economy -- a problem he argued is caused by flaws in government policy, rather than Constitutional flaws.
Citing the example of the US, Soong said that every US president pledges to abide by the Constitution during his term, adding that constitutional reform is never something a US president would put on the top of his agenda.
"[In Taiwan] we have made constitutional reform even easier than revising school rules. It is a very dangerous matter if we are to raise an idea recklessly without going through public discussion to reach a national consensus," Soong said.
Soong made the remarks in response to Chen's recent proposition that constitutional reform could be an issue for discussion in a summit of political leaders.
As to whether he would accept Chen's invitation to the summit, Soong said any meeting should be held with sincerity.
PFP Vice Chairman Chang Chao-hsiung (
"This is like Chen's watching the hippopotamuses through a telescope in Africa but seeing only their buttocks. We are in a spot now that he is asking all opposition parties to join him to touch the buttocks [of the hippos]," Chang said.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS