President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday pledged his resolve to form a "cross-party alliance for national stabilization," saying the group is not meant to intensify opposition but to promote cooperation and dialogue among the political parties.
Chen made the comments with the 13 TSU lawmakers during a dinner banquet at the Presidential Office.
It was the first time the president shared his views concerning the alliance since returning from his trip to Africa, where Chen first raised the issue.
"The president told us that he seeks to form the group to avoid friction between the opposition and governing parties. It would serve as a platform for dialogue and collaboration between parties," TSU lawmaker Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘) said after the meeting.
The president said the past six months in the legislature has been a process full of hardship for the DPP.
On Feb. 1, the DPP garnered only 108 votes, in which DPP-nominated Hong Chi-chang (洪奇昌) failed to become the vice speaker. But in June, the DPP obtained 113 ballots, which led to Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文) winning legislative approval to become head of the Examination Yuan.
"The increase of 5 votes was not achieved easily," Chen said.
Despite the difficulties in dealing with opposition parties, President Chen said he was willing to express his sincerity in the hope of achieving a harmonious relationship between the two sides.
Stressing that the TSU is not subordinate to the DPP, President Chen said all parties in the national alliance would be treated on an equal footing.
Former president Lee Teng-hui (
Along with the 89 DPP lawmakers, the `pan-green' camp has 102 members in the legislature. President Chen seeks to form an alliance of at least 113 members, half of its 225 legislative seats, to give it a majority for legislation.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
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