Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Legislator Lin Yi-chun (林憶君) was this morning voted cochair of the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee, becoming the only from her party to lead a committee this session thanks to backing from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
The eight committees of the Legislative Yuan met today to vote on new chairs, with each committee led by one legislator from the ruling party and another from the opposition.
The leadership of the Foreign and National Defense Committee was appointed to Lin and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇).
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
In the last session, the KMT ceded the opposition chair of the Internal Administration Committee to independent Legislator May Chin (高金素梅). No TPP member chaired a committee in the previous session, although in the last legislature, then-TPP caucus convener Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) led the Transportation Committee for a session.
Lin said she is thankful to the KMT for allowing her to assume the position, and she hopes to live up to expectations as the TPP and KMT cooperate rationally and pragmatically to oversee legislative affairs.
Asked afterward if the budget would be cut for the Indigenous Defense Submarine program, Lin said that legislators would increase discussion and investigation of the matter.
The former head of the Indigenous Submarine Program, Admiral Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光), is the older brother of TPP Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊). Asked if this would impact budget cuts, Lin said not to jump to conclusions and that the budget would be closely supervised by legislators.
Lin did not clarify if this latest cooperation between the TPP and KMT was decided yesterday or today, but said that she respects the agreement and decision of the coalition.
Asked if any conditions were placed on cooperation between the parties, Lin declined to comment.
TPP caucus whip Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) was seen greeting legislators in today’s meeting.
Asked if his attendance was to finalize an agreement between the two parties, Lin said that Huang Kuo-chang is her superior and his attendance was not out of the ordinary.
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