Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday again prevented Premier William Lai (賴清德) from giving his administrative report to protest an investigative report released on Wednesday by the Transitional Justice Commission, which did not punish any officials involved in an alleged breach of neutrality.
KMT caucus members occupied the speaker’s podium well before a plenary session was scheduled to begin at 9am and took turns making speeches criticizing the commission’s handling of a “major political scandal” involving former commission deputy chairman Chang Tien-chin (張天欽) and several staff members.
Lai arrived at the Legislative Yuan an hour earlier than scheduled, but was blocked from the chamber by KMT legislators.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Chang on Aug. 24 called an informal meeting with former commission secretary-general Hsu Chun-ju (許君如), two researchers and two associate researchers, and allegedly asked the attendees to brainstorm how the commission could use its draft lustration law against former New Taipei City deputy mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the KMT’s mayoral candidate for the municipality.
In a leaked audio recording of the meeting, Chang could allegedly be heard saying that Hou was the “most egregious case of transitional justice” and that it would be a “pity” if public opinion was not manipulated against him.
The commission decided not to punish the meeting attendees, as they have already resigned, the report said, adding that removing someone from their post is the heaviest punishment possible.
Hsu has been reassigned to the Mainland Affairs Council, the report said.
The KMT caucus demanded that an objective third party be tasked with investigating the incident and publishing another report, and said that the premier should make a special report on the issue at the legislature to win back trust in the commission, KMT caucus secretary-general William Tseng (曾銘宗) said.
If the Executive Yuan completes the two demands and is able to reunite the KMT and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the quest for transitional justice, the KMT would voice no further objection, he said.
The commission is aimed at “settling scores,” but when controversy involving the DPP erupts, it says: “Let bygones be bygones,” KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) said, adding that nobody would object to pursuing transitional justice, but everyone is against “retaliating against a past authoritarian regime with an authoritarian approach.”
Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) in the afternoon called a round of cross-caucus negotiations in a bid to break the stalemate, but had to end the meeting after the KMT caucus refused to attend.
Su said the KMT caucus’ actions contravened the Act Governing the Legislative Yuan’s Exercise of Power (立法院職權行使法), which stipulates that the premier should give an administrative report.
It is regrettable that the KMT did not allow Lai to give his report and respond to lawmakers’ questions, which prevents the public from understanding the government’s work on issues of concern, Su added.
Asked whether the KMT’s demand that the independent commission be investigated by a third party is unconstitutional, Su said that the question would be best answered by the caucuses during discussions.
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