The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday reiterated its support for lowering the voting age to 18, as well as abolishing the Control Yuan and Examination Yuan through a constitutional amendment, adding that it would achieve intergenerational justice and to solidify Taiwan’s status as a normal nation.
The Legislative Yuan has formed a Constitutional Amendment Committee which is scheduled to begin its deliberations during the next legislative session and NPP Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智), who represents the party on the committee, said at a news conference that it has always been the party’s policy to abolish the Control and Examination yuans.
A democratic nation should be run by the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the government, with legislators having the right to oversee the executive branch, Chiu said.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The executive branch should hold the examinations to recruit civil servants, he said, adding that agencies under the two branches should be placed under the Legislative Yuan or Executive Yuan after the two institutions are abolished.
The Ministry of Examination and the Ministry of Civil Service should remain independent agencies under the Executive Yuan, while the National Human Rights Commission should be under the Presidential Office, Chiu said.
The right to impeach the president and government officials should be returned to the Legislative Yuan, while the National Audit Office should be an independent agency under the legislature, he said.
NPP Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) said that the party has been proposing lowering the voting age to 18 since 2016 as it is a trend in democratic nations.
“We are glad to see political parties in Taiwan have gradually reached a consensus on issues related to the voting age over the years and we would certainly support a constitutional amendment to ensure that it happens,” Wang said. “Our party proposes that the minimum age to vote and run in elections be set at 18, as it would safeguard the rights of young people to participate in politics and achieve intergenerational justice.”
It has become increasingly important to guarantee young people’s right to a voice as the nation transitions to an ultra-aging society, and a proposal to lower the age of majority in the Civil Code from 20 to 18 has already passed a preliminary review at the legislature, she said.
The citizenship of young people would be thoroughly realized through such a constitutional amendment, she added.
However, at least three-quarters of all legislators must be present to vote on a proposal for a constitutional amendment, which would only pass if it secures the consent of three-quarters of the legislators present, the NPP said, adding that the thresholds are too high.
An amendment should make it easier for people to propose changes to the Constitution, it said, adding that it should require only two-thirds of legislators to vote and the amendment should pass if it secures the approval of two-thirds of the legislators present.
When an amendment to the Constitution is put to vote in a general election, the standards by which it can pass should also be changed, the NPP said.
A constitutional amendment currently has to secure the consent of 50 percent of eligible voters, but the NPP is proposing that it should pass if at least 50 percent of eligible voters participate and 50 percent of those agree to the amendment.
Another constitutional amendment is needed to solidify the nation’s status by completely abolishing the Taiwan Provincial Government and eliminating wording related to unification with China, the NPP said.
Through the amendment, the party also hopes to change the legislative election process from a parallel voting system to a mixed-member proportional representation system.
That would ensure that legislative seats would be distributed based on the percentage of votes a party receives, ensuring that smaller parties still have a voice, the NPP said.
The threshold to be allocated legislator-at-large seats should be reduced from 5 percent of the total vote to 3 percent, it said.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS