The Judicial Reform Foundation yesterday urged the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) to halt the Legislative Yuan proceedings immediately on the grounds that their proposed amendments for legislative reforms could be illegal and unconstitutional.
The legislature had passed the second reading of amendments to the Act Governing the Legislative Yuan’s Power (立法院職權行使法) on Friday last week, Tuesday and Friday.
The foundation said in a statement on Friday night that the drafts submitted by the KMT and the TPP contained multiple points of contention and that the version of the amendments could be unconstitutional.
Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Reuters
Legislative conflicts could grow stronger if the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) were to file for constitutional interpretation and demand a provisional injunction against the amendments, it said.
The addition of a clause under the Criminal Code to provide a legal basis to administratively fine others for holding the legislature in contempt might exceed the parameters of the Council of Grand Justices Interpretations, it said.
Amendments regarding powers of inquiry were too vague, failing to provide legal bases for procedures summoning individuals to give testimony, it said, adding that the amendments regarding an individual refusing to testify were also vague.
Amendments that said individuals attending a testimony hearing could ask for, per agreement of the Legislative Speaker, legal counsel or professional aid was procedurally flawed and infringed on a person’s right to legal representation, it said.
Overall, the amendments granting the legislature the power of inquiry fail to strengthen the legislature’s self-restraint and would only lead to a vicious cycle of endless bickering, administrative fines and further legal suits to dispute the fines, it said.
On requiring the president to answer questions fielded by legislators, the foundation said that constitutionally the president does not answer to the legislature, adding that if the president were to answer, it would turn into an interpellation.
Having the president interpellated on the floor would cease being a state of the nation report, and would also go against Taiwan’s political system, the foundation said.
The foundation urged rational dialogue and said that it supported legislative reforms, but could not condone the passage of amendments without due deliberation.
On Friday, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) announced the end of the day’s session at 11:28pm, after a long day reviewing bills amid protests from DPP lawmakers, and thousands of demonstrators outside the Legislature Yuan in Taipei.
Both sides held press conferences outside the legislature to explain their respective messages to the public, with TPP lawmakers holding signs with QR codes for people to scan and access a TPP-created Google document which contained files explaining the opposition’s proposed parliamentary reforms.
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
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
Taipei is to implement widespread road closures around Taipei 101 on Friday to make way for large crowds during the Double Ten National Day celebration, the Taipei Department of Transportation said. A four-minute fireworks display is to be launched from the skyscraper, along with a performance by 500 drones flying in formation above the nearby Nanshan A21 site, starting at 10pm. Vehicle restrictions would occur in phases, they said. From 5pm to 9pm, inner lanes of Songshou Road between Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 are to be closed, with only the outer lanes remaining open. Between 9pm and 9:40pm, the section is
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday hosted a reception to celebrate Double Ten National Day. Conservative Canadian lawmaker Marc Dalton called Taiwan a “beacon of courage and resilience in the face of rising authoritarianism,” according to a post on the Taiwan in Vancouver Facebook page. Also in attendance were fellow conservative caucus members Tako Van Popta and Chak Au, who said that Taiwan plays an “indispensable role” in ensuring global peace, prosperity and stability due to its strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region, it said. Canadian lawmaker Michael Cooper also recorded a message wishing Taiwan a