President William Lai (賴清德) has approved a Cabinet request for the legislature to reconsider recently passed revisions aimed at expanding its oversight of the executive branch.
In a news release, Presidential Office spokeswoman Kuo Ya-hui (郭雅慧) said that the office yesterday morning notified the Cabinet and the legislature of Lai’s decision, adding that the president looked forward to “a broad consensus on the amendments’ legitimacy and constitutionality” once lawmakers re-examined the bills.
The amendments to the Act Governing the Legislative Yuan’s Power (立法院職權行使法) and the Criminal Code were passed on May 28 by opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers, who have a combined majority in the legislature.
Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Reuters
However, the Cabinet on Thursday last week said that it would ask the legislature to reconsider the amendments on the grounds that they were “unconstitutional” and “difficult to implement.”
The measures would give the legislature investigative powers and allow it to hold hearings, which include potentially imposing penalties on public officials and other individuals if they refuse to attend or provide information, or give false testimonies.
Other measures would require that the president present a “state of the union” address at the Legislative Yuan and take questions from legislators.
Although the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) opposes the revisions, it had advocated for increased oversight of the executive branch while in opposition.
However, the party has sidelined the issue since coming into power in 2016.
Meanwhile, KMT and TPP lawmakers maintain that the revisions followed due process and are necessary reforms, particularly in light of allegations of corruption and wrongdoing relating to several major DPP government policies and investment projects.
Under Article 3-2 (2) of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China, if the Executive Yuan determines that a bill passed by the Legislative Yuan is difficult to execute, it can, with presidential approval, request that the legislature reconsider it within 10 days of receiving the bill.
Within 15 days of receiving the Cabinet’s request, the legislature must vote on whether to uphold the bill’s passage. If it fails to reach a decision within that period, the bill would be void.
Upholding the bill requires the consent of more than half of all sitting legislators, or a minimum of 57 votes in the current legislature.
If a minimum of 57 lawmakers support the revisions, the president would then be required to sign them into law.
Should that happen, the Cabinet, or DPP lawmakers, might seek a ruling from the Constitutional Court on the constitutionality of the revisions.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS