The opening session of the Constitutional Amendment Committee at the legislature in Taipei got off to a rocky start yesterday, with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers storming out soon after it began.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers gathered for the inaugural session at 9am while their KMT counterparts arrived shortly afterward, followed by Taiwan People’s Party representatives.
KMT members said that they objected to DPP Legislator Chou Chun-mi (周春米) being chosen as convener before they entered.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
They accused the DPP of breaching legislative regulations governing committee meetings.
DPP Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said that proceedings had conformed to the regulations and members had reached quorum, so he and DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) raised the motion to nominate Chou, which was approved by those who were present.
KMT Legislator Jessica Chen (陳玉珍) said her party members were only one minute late.
KMT members then exited the meeting in protest, saying that it was a DPP ploy to breach the regulations, derailing the process of constitutional amendments.
“We had quorum and complied with regulations to nominate a convener,” Chung said. “Were the KMT in charge, we would abide by the procedures, allowing it to nominate a convener.”
“As members of the ruling party, we respectfully listen to suggestions and opinions of opposition members, so I ask that the KMT members return and do the work at this committee,” he said.
Later yesterday, the KMT at a news conference accused the DPP of not wanting the meeting to get started, so it orchestrated a way to halt proceedings while blaming the KMT.
The caucuses on Sept. 14, 2020, agreed to set up the committee amid calls to amend the Constitution, including a proposal to lower the voting age from 20 to 18.
The 39 members of the committee were named after seats were allotted to parties based on their proportion of seats in the legislature.
Additional reporting by Chen yun and CNA
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