The legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee is slated to review more than a dozen bills proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) today that it says would reform the legislature. However, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said that the proposals are unconstitutional and would push Taiwan back into an authoritarian regime.
Out of the more than 20 bills related to legislative reform, 17 were proposed by the KMT.
KMT legislators Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆), Wu Tsung-hsien (吳宗憲) and Weng Hsiao-ling (翁曉玲) proposed amendments to the Act Governing the Legislative Yuan’s Power (立法院職權行使法) and the Criminal Code that would make contempt of the legislature a crime.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
This would hold government officials accountable for refusing to answer questions, not giving a definite answer and questioning the lawmakers, they said. Officials who are held in contempt of the legislature would be sentenced to up to three years in prison and fined NT$300,000.
Wu, Weng and KMT Legislator Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) also proposed an amendment that would require the president to submit a “State of the Nation” report by Feb. 1 and give a similar address to legislators before March 1. When lawmakers raise questions, the president should also instantly answer them, the draft states.
Other proposed amendments include giving the legislature the right to conduct investigations, hold hearings and approve appointments of officials. The secret ballot system for the elections of legislative speaker and deputy legislative speaker would be removed as well.
The DPP caucus opposed the proposed amendments, saying that they are unconstitutional and would greatly expand legislative authority.
The proposed amendments would return Taiwan to the era of an authoritarian regime, it said, adding that it would definitely seek interpretations from the Constitutional Court and request an emergency injunction on the bills.
Based on the proposed amendments, legislators would have the right to investigate public legal entities, private legal entities, the military, agencies and groups.
Failure to accept investigation is contempt of the legislature, DPP caucus secretary-general Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said yesterday.
KMT caucus is asking to hold hearings of the appointments of government officials, which infringes on the president’s and premier’s right to nominate them, said DPP Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱), who is a convener of the committee.
“The KMT and Taiwan People’s Party support that the legislature should have the right to conduct investigations and hold government officials in contempt. This would make legislative authorities transcend those of judicial and control branches,” Chung said.
“Asking the president to deliver a State of the Nation address followed by a question-and-answer session is against the division of authorities stated in the Constitution,” he added.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
RSS