The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has no need to take the podium from Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) because he may not even be able to take the floor if negotiations between the legislative caucuses of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the DPP fall through, DPP caucus secretary-general Wu Ping-rui (吳秉叡) said yesterday.
The question of whether Jiang would be able to take the floor stemmed from the recent controversy sparked by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), along with Vice President Wu Den-yinh (吳敦義) and Jiang, accusing Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) of illegal lobbying.
The Special Investigations Division alleges that Wang unduly influenced former minister of justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫), High Prosecutors’ Office Head Prosecutor Chen Shou-huang (陳守煌) and High Prosecutors’ Office prosecutor Lin Shiow-tao (林秀濤) to take legal pressure off DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘)
The DPP caucus met yesterday in preparation for the commencement of the fourth legislative session today. DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) was also present.
Despite Friday’s agreement that Jiang would be invited to take the floor on the opening day of the session, whether the premier could actually do so depended on a bipartisan negotiation today, Wu Ping-rui said prior to the meeting.
All political parties present at the negotiation would make some demands and if no consensus can be reached then Wang would not extend to Jiang the invitation to take the floor, Wu Ping-rui said.
When asked by media what sort of demands the DPP caucus would make, he replied that the caucus felt the priority was getting constitutional government back on track, adding that Jiang might need to answer for some of his previous comments, which the caucus felt might have been unconstitutional.
Wu Ping-rui was referring to recent media reports claiming that Jiang had said that the Executive Yuan “is prepared to [face] a legislature without Wang Jin-pyng.”
Executive Yuan spokesperson Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said yesterday that Jiang would provide an explanation to lawmakers today.
At a meeting with KMT lawmakers yesterday afternoon, Jiang said his statement had been “distorted” by the media.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
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