Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday called on Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (
Their appeal came in the wake of the indictment of former DPP chairman Shih Ming-teh (
Asked by reporters for comment on the indictments on Saturday, Hsieh said that any law should be observed even though they are considered "wicked laws."
Hsieh said that the majority party in the legislature should push for a revision of the law instead of simply launching a civil disobedience movement.
Responding to Hsieh's comments, KMT Legislator Justin Chou (
KMT Legislator Joanna Lei (
The KMT's proposal calls for abolition of the requirement for protesters to apply for a rally permit and removes the police's power to regulate and disperse protesters.
Lei said that the Assembly and Parade Law infringed on the public's freedom of assembly and association as enshrined in the Constitution.
"As a human-rights lawyer -- as he [Hsieh] often describes himself -- he might have forgotten that the legally, a `wicked' law is not a law," Lei said.
In the DPP's defense, DPP caucus whip Wang Tuoh (
Wang told reporters that it would be difficult for the DPP to boycott bills that the KMT seriously wanted to push as the KMT dominates the legislature.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
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