Representatives of the public yesterday clashed over President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) follow-up nominations of Control Yuan members, with members of the pan-blue camp calling the nominations biased.
The Legislative Yuan held a hearing to solicit views from the public on nominations to fill 11 seats left vacant after 29 members retired in 2014 during former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) term.
Yeh Ching-yuan (葉慶元), a lawyer for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), targeted nominee Chen Shih-meng (陳師孟), who served as Presidential Office secretary-general under then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Chen Shih-meng allegedly said that, if approved, he would purge certain law enforcers whom he deemed to be “leftovers from the party-state era,” which shows that he has a distinct political stance, Yeh said.
He urged the DPP to rescind Chen Shih-meng’s nomination and called on him to decline the position.
Yeh also disputed Tsai’s nominations of former Taipei Department of Legal Affairs commissioner Yang Fang-ling (楊芳玲) and former DPP legislators Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) and Walis Perin.
Yang served less than three years as a commissioner under Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and before that was a professor, suggesting that she lacks experience in politics and the credibility to serve as a Control Yuan member, Yeh said.
Regarding Tien and Walis Perin, the DPP should clarify whether the party treats the Control Yuan as a “recycle bin” for former lawmakers, he said.
During a cross-caucus negotiation last week, DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) called the Control Yuan a KMT affiliate and said that the purpose of the nominations was to “even out” the negative influence exerted by incumbent members nominated by Ma, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology law professor Wu Wei-chih (吳威志) said.
Ker’s remarks showed that the 11 nominees are tasked with a “political mission,” Wu said, adding that as the DPP believes the Control Yuan to be a KMT affiliate, it should ask the Executive Yuan’s Ill-Gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee to investigate the Control Yuan rather than nominate new members.
However, until the constitutional system is amended, having too many vacancies at the Control Yuan could have negative consequences, National Chung Cheng University College of Law dean Liu Chien-hung (劉建宏) said.
Yang, lawyer Kao Yung-cheng (高涌誠) and former judge Tsai Chung-yi’s (蔡崇義) nominations would help resolve long-standing national issues, as they all have legal backgrounds, he said.
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
A fourth public debate was held today about restarting the recently decommissioned Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, ahead of a referendum on the controversial issue to be held in less than two weeks. A referendum on Aug. 23 is to ask voters if they agree that “the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant should continue operations upon approval by the competent authority and confirmation that there are no safety concerns.” Anyone over 18 years of age can vote in the referendum. The vote comes just three months after its final reactor shut down, officially making Taiwan nuclear-free. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) represented
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
RSS