Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday said they would introduce bills to increase legislative transparency and oversight of the government, while also opening the vote for speaker when the new legislature starts on Thursday next week.
The proposed measures seek to make the legislative speaker and deputy speaker election an open ballot vote, normalize presidential reports to the legislature, give the legislature oversight of personnel appointments to independent or critical governmental organizations, and enforce the legislature’s powers of inquiry.
KMT legislator-elect Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) raised similar ideas in 2016, but did not implement them after gaining a majority.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
“The KMT is picking up where the DPP left off,” he said.
As elections for speakers at the county and city council level are open, the Legislative Yuan should follow suit, KMT legislator-elect Weng Hsiao-ling (翁曉玲) said.
She said there was precedent in holding open ballots at the legislature, and the Supreme Court in 2015 ruled that making known who the legislator voted for to be speaker does not contravene Article 132 of the Criminal Code.
She also called for amendments to the Act on Exercising Legislative Yuan Powers (立法院職權行使法) and the Regulations on Electing the Legislative Speaker and Deputy Speaker by Legislators (立法委員互選院長副院長辦法) to reflect that an open ballot is legal.
Citing amendments to the Constitution stating that the Legislative Yuan can have the president conduct a “state of the union” address, Weng said that the phrasing should be changed from “can” to “should.”
The legislature only holds the powers to ratify appointments of those who would head independent organizations, but it should also ratify the appointments of personnel to head other critical government posts, she said, adding that the legislature should also be allowed to dismiss ministers.
Additionally, as the legislature can only obtain documents about specific individuals and cannot make inquiries, those shortcomings should be addressed in the Act on Exercising Legislative Yuan Powers, she said.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said that the DPP respects the proposals of other parties and would present its own versions.
Ker said “it is all the same” to him who among the KMT takes what position, as the DPP would have to accept them, adding that he “is confident on being able to handle legislative affairs with his 30 years in the legislature.”
Additional reporting by Hsieh Chun-lin
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS