More than 1,000 Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporters and members of civic groups rallied outside the Legislative Yuan yesterday morning ahead of the legislature’s vote on a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet.
The rallies were organized by the DPP, the Constitution 133 Alliance and the Taiwan Association of University Professors around the Legislative Yuan compound to apply pressure on Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators to support the motion.
DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), senior party members and lawmakers appeared at the DPP-organized main event, with Su reiterating that both President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) should step down for poor governance and infringement of the Constitution.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
“Jiang said that ‘Taiwan could not wait’ in his statement to appeal for support. We couldn’t agree more. Because Taiwan cannot wait, Jiang must step down since we have given him too much time,” Su said.
The Constitution 133 Alliance’s effort to recall those KMT lawmakers who failed to represent the true voice of the people, as well as the DPP’s no-confidence motion against the Cabinet, symbolize the public’s wish to resolve a flaw in Taiwan’s representative democracy, said Neil Peng (馮光遠), an award-winning screenwriter and author who is also the alliance’s spokesman.
“We are trying to tell these politicians that they cannot do whatever they want without being held accountable,” Peng said.
The slim chance for the motion to pass reflected the gap between the public’s voice and the legislature, former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who appeared at the rally for five minutes, said in a statement issued after the event.
Tsai urged the legislature to launch an investigation into Ma’s alleged abuse of power and violation of the Constitution, as well as push for constitutional reform.
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