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
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS