Independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) and Taiwan Statebuilding Party Legislator Chen Po-wei (陳柏惟) are to join the Constitutional Amendment Committee as the Legislative Yuan prepares for the commencement of the constitutional reform process.
Through cross-party negotiations, it was decided that seats on the 39-member committee would be allocated in direct proportion to the number of legislative seats held by political parties, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials said yesterday.
After an internal deliberation, the DPP decided to reserve two of its 22 seats for Lim and Chen, DPP caucus whip Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) said.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has 14 seats, the Taiwan People’s Party two and the New Power Party (NPP) one, he said.
Lim, 44, and Chen, 35, are seen as voices of Taiwan’s younger generation, and have close links with deep-green groups in the nation.
Lim, the lead vocalist of the heavy-metal band Chthonic, quit the NPP in August last year over differences with party leadership and won re-election as an independent legislator.
Chen, a first-term legislator, did post-production work for movies, including Kano, the 2014 movie based on the true story of the Kano baseball team in Chiayi during the Japanese colonial period.
“Amending the constitution is an important mission for this legislative session [which opens today], and it is also what the public expects of us... I am glad to join the committee, as this is an opportunity to start Taiwan’s constitutional reform,” Lim said.
Chen wrote on Facebook that he is determined to join the battle and looks forward to fighting members of Chinese political parties.
Work on constitutional reform is expected to prioritize lowering the age of majority from 20 to 18, which would make them eligible to vote in elections or referendums, and to marry without parental consent; and to abolish the Control Yuan and the Examination Yuan.
The committee is also expected to review proposals to lower the thresholds for approval of constitutional reform initiatives by the legislature and through a public referendum.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
RSS