The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), with support from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), yesterday proposed a constitutional amendment to abolish the Control Yuan.
TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) and KMT Legislator Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) proposed amendments to articles 3, 4 and 7 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution.
The amendments would abolish the Control Yuan and transfer its audit power to the Legislative Yuan, including giving the latter oversight of the Executive Yuan’s annual accounting and finances.
Photo: Taipei Times
A constitutional amendment must be proposed by at least one-quarter of the 113-member Legislative Yuan, and passed by three-fourths of the members at a meeting with a quorum of three-fourths of the legislature.
At a news conference prior to a final tally of supporters, Huang said he was confident his party would reach the 25 percent threshold necessary to submit the amendment.
Abolishing the Control Yuan has been a long-term goal of the party, one that former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) also campaigned on in his presidential run last year, but it did not have enough seats in the Legislative Yuan to make it a reality, Huang said.
“The public has had enough of this committee of ‘big baby’ supervisors,” Huang said, referring to members of the Control Yuan.
They abuse their power, violate the law and only work on behalf of their own party, he added.
Huang later on wrote on Facebook that the proposal has surpassed the required support of at least 29 lawmakers, thanking his fellow opposition lawmakers for their support.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said that the DPP has long supported the abolition of the Control Yuan, including in the prior Legislative Yuan, but not as an act of political revenge.
The DPP is willing to work with opposition lawmakers to promote constitutional reform and improve the system, she added.
If the proposed constitutional amendment is passed, it must be voted on by eligible voters, with the number of “yes” votes exceeding half of the total number of eligible voters.
Separately, the TPP yesterday also proposed extending the legislative session until Aug. 31, with KMT caucus secretary-general Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) expressing support.
The KMT previously proposed extending the session until July 31, drawing criticism from the DPP, which accused it of seeking to dodge accountability.
Wu said that opposition lawmakers are obstructing justice by using an extended legislative session to “maintain their immunity from prosecution.”
Moreover, by extending the legislative session, opposition lawmakers, many of whom are facing recall votes, can continue to try and “buy votes” through populist bills such as a military pay increase and a proposed NT$10,000 (US$337) universal cash handout, Wu said.
Chinese-language media have reported that each extra day of a legislative session would cost NT$10 million, Wu said, adding that it is a waste of taxpayer money and does not benefit the country.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
RSS