The DPP's plan to discipline its scandal-ridden lawmaker Cheng Yu-chen (
DPP Legislator Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄), chairman of the party's Central Review Committee (中評會), said that Cheng's case had been processed depriving Cheng of his right to leave the party of his own accord.
Cheng, who reportedly broke up with his jilted lover Sophie Wang (
But party officials said Cheng's offer will not alter the party's plan to penalize him for his behavior for the past months, claiming it has hurt the party's image.
According to the DPP's charter, any party member whose case is under review by the committee for defiance of party regulations is not entitled to quit voluntarily.
The committee will hold a meeting next Thursday, and Cheng will be invited to report at the meeting.
The DPP's legislative caucus earlier reached a decision to revoke Cheng's membership on the grounds that he has neglected his duty as a lawmaker when he was absent from the legislative session two months after the session started.
Cheng married his aide-turned-lover Wang in the US and stayed in Los Angeles for the past three months to wait for his first wife Lu Pei-ying (
But he returned to Taiwan two weeks ago, saying he had escaped from their residence in LA because he could no longer endure Wang's violence.
He claimed his love affair with Wang has ended and is now prepared to serve his country and his people.
The lawmaker's romantic entanglement, however, continued to take the spotlight when Wang, who is said to be pregnant, created an uproar with her unexpected appearance at the Legislative Yuan.
Yesterday Chinese language newspapers reported that Cheng and Wang took the same flight home, contradicting Chengs' statement and suggesting that their romance was still ongoing. But the lawmaker soon showed his passport to counter the reports.
Cheng said he will soon make public a statement to explain his decision to leave the party.
The lawmaker said the party punished him on the grounds that he failed to report to the legislature when the session began.
He said he has good reason for not returning, and has detailed his situation to party leaders.
Cheng was also dissatisfied with the party's accusations that his conduct has affected the upcoming mayoral elections.
He said since the party showed no respect for his opinions, he will not bother to explain his case at the committee next week.
What he can do for the time being is quit the party of his own accord before the party decides to force him, he said.
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