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.
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