Legislators had minor clashes at the Internal Administration Committee yesterday, and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators occupied the podium to halt deliberation of a bill that would make it more difficult to recall elected officials.
The committee was scheduled to discuss a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) proposal to amend the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) that would raise the threshold and add other conditions to make it more difficult to recall elected representatives, including legislators, city mayors, county commissioners and councilors.
The bill introduced by KMT Legislator Hsu Yu-chen (許宇甄) would require recall votes to surpass the elected official’s original election ballot total to be successful.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Petition signatories to launch the recall drive would also need to submit a copy of the front and back of their national ID card, while no recall drive could be initiated until a year after the official took office.
The DPP mobilized its members when the committee room opened at 7am, sitting in chairs to form a barricade to prevent KMT and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislators from reaching the podium.
A large bird cage was carried by DPP Legislator Wang Mei-hui (王美惠), as she and fellow DPP members shouted slogans opposing what they called the KMT’s “bird cage” recall bill.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Confrontations broke out when KMT legislators entered the room and tried to push their way to the front.
There were chaotic scenes inside the crowded room, as legislators were accompanied by their aides, and as reporters and photographers entered.
Committee coconvener independent Legislator May Chin (高金素梅) worked with KMT members to consider their options in the lobby.
Chin later relocated the meeting to another room where KMT lawmakers were already seated, including at the podium, but DPP members formed another barricade at the door to prevent non-legislators from entering, and instructed legislative staff not to leave.
It was a successful effort, as the legislative staff stayed inside the room, which deterred the meeting from taking place.
The stalling continued until the official expiration time of 5pm, and some KMT legislators complained of “illegal action” by DPP members in “detaining the legislative staff against their will.”
The committee meeting was rescheduled for Monday next week, however, the agenda does not include the bill proposed by Hsu.
The KMT said that future discussions would no longer include discussions of the threshold.
Meanwhile, DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said he and fellow party legislators would steadfastly oppose the bill.
“We cannot let the KMT deprive people of their right to recall unfit politicians. The KMT wants to manipulate the law to make it a political tool it controls,” he said.
“We are taking up vigorous action to stop the KMT from using their slight majority and violent tactics to circumvent regular procedures and ram through bills on expanding the power of lawmakers,” DPP caucus director Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) told a news conference inside the legislature.
The KMT is fast-tracking the recall bill, as it wants to block a recall drive against Keelung Mayor George Hsieh (謝國樑), Wu said.
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