The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday that it will use a democratic process to draft a new constitution, and all major issues ranging from the national flag and title to territory will be included in the discussion.
"The way the DPP pushes for the new constitution will be through a bottom-up process. We will handle the issues based on a democratic procedure with an open mind," DPP spokesman Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said in a written statement.
The DPP's version of a new constitution is expected to be finished by June, and forums will be held during the drafting period.
"Whether the issue of revision of the national flag or title will be touched upon in the DPP's final version awaits further discussions. We will accept the majority opinion," Tsai said, adding that the party will leave some room for negotiations with the legislative caucus and the Executive Yuan.
The party also gave its full support to the president's plan to abolish the National Unification Council, and urged Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to "get tough" on the issue.
"The DPP respects the president's right to decide the timeline of the abolishment of the council, but the sooner the better. The council is a barrier to the people's freedom of choice, and so Ma should also support this," Tsai said.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), however, said there would be "big trouble" if the DPP includes changing the nation's name, flag and territory in its draft for a new constitution.
People First Party (PFP) caucus whip Hwang Yih-jiau (
Taiwan Solidarity Union legislators, however, hailed the DPP's plan.
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