The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday occupied the speaker’s podium at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, preventing further proceedings on referendums proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
The Legislature on Tuesday passed a motion sending two KMT referendum proposals on “opposing the abolition of the death penalty” and “opposing martial law” to a second reading without the need for committee review after a contentious session marked by protests and legislative maneuvering.
To prevent the issues from proceeding further yesterday, DPP lawmakers blocked the entry to the main chamber on Thursday night and took over the podium yesterday.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
KMT lawmakers did not counter DPP lawmakers at the podium.
The DPP called for negotiations on the KMT’s proposals.
The DPP’s disruption of legislative activity prevented Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) from continuing his report on the government’s policies and their implementation.
KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) said that the ruling party was paralyzing the legislature to achieve unknown ends, adding that he hoped the legislature could resume discussions and meetings like a normal democracy.
KMT caucus secretary-general Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said that yesterday’s events were “historic” in that the DPP lawmakers blocked their own Cabinet officials from a question-and-answer session.
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said that the DPP must consider whether it wants the state to function normally or whether it wants to continue to paralyze the legislature and allow the DPP-controlled executive branch to act without legislative supervision.
The TPP would abide by the Legislative Yuan’s procedural regulations and would send a representative to attend cross-caucus negotiations should Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) call for one, Huang said.
Additional reporting by Liu Wan-lin and CNA
ENTERTAINERS IN CHINA: Taiwanese generally back the government being firm on infiltration and ‘united front’ work,’ the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association said Most people support the government probing Taiwanese entertainers for allegedly “amplifying” the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda, a survey conducted by the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association showed on Friday. Public support stood at 56.4 percent for action by the Mainland Affairs Council and the Ministry of Culture to enhance scrutiny on Taiwanese performers and artists who have developed careers in China while allegedly adhering to the narrative of Beijing’s propaganda that denigrates or harms Taiwanese sovereignty, the poll showed. Thirty-three percent did not support the action, it showed. The poll showed that 51.5 percent of respondents supported the government’s investigation into Taiwanese who have
South Korean K-pop girl group Blackpink are to make Kaohsiung the first stop on their Asia tour when they perform at Kaohsiung National Stadium on Oct. 18 and 19, the event organizer said yesterday. The upcoming performances will also make Blackpink the first girl group ever to perform twice at the stadium. It will be the group’s third visit to Taiwan to stage a concert. The last time Blackpink held a concert in the city was in March 2023. Their first concert in Taiwan was on March 3, 2019, at NTSU Arena (Linkou Arena). The group’s 2022-2023 “Born Pink” tour set a
A Philippine official has denied allegations of mistreatment of crew members during Philippine authorities’ boarding of a Taiwanese fishing vessel on Monday. Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) spokesman Nazario Briguera on Friday said that BFAR law enforcement officers “observed the proper boarding protocols” when they boarded the Taiwanese vessel Sheng Yu Feng (昇漁豐號) and towed it to Basco Port in the Philippines. Briguera’s comments came a day after the Taiwanese captain of the Sheng Yu Feng, Chen Tsung-tun (陳宗頓), held a news conference in Pingtung County and accused the Philippine authorities of mistreatment during the boarding of
88.2 PERCENT INCREASE: The variants driving the current outbreak are not causing more severe symptoms, but are ‘more contagious’ than previous variants, an expert said Number of COVID-19 cases in the nation is surging, with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) describing the ongoing wave of infections as “rapid and intense,” and projecting that the outbreak would continue through the end of July. A total of 19,097 outpatient and emergency visits related to COVID-19 were reported from May 11 to Saturday last week, an 88.2 percent increase from the previous week’s 10,149 visits, CDC data showed. The nearly 90 percent surge in case numbers also marks the sixth consecutive weekly increase, although the total remains below the 23,778 recorded during the same period last year,
RSS