The Legislative Yuan should declare a recess ahead of recall votes on July 26 and Aug. 23, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) said yesterday after opposition lawmakers moved to prolong the legislative session.
The only reason the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have to extend the session is to shield their lawmakers from prosecution after they are recalled, TSU Secretary-General Wang Ming-yuan (王銘源) told a news conference in Taipei.
Many KMT lawmakers played a role in the party’s failed attempts to trigger recall votes against Democratic Progressive Party legislators, efforts that have become embroiled in allegations of fraud, Wang said.
Photo: Lin Che-yuan, Taipei Times
Fear of prosecution, not a genuine interest in governance, is the motivation behind seeking to extend the legislative session, as lawmakers cannot be prosecuted while the session is ongoing, he said.
With their dubious mandate, opposition lawmakers should refrain from making controversial decisions, such as livestreaming court proceedings or deciding the fate of the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, he said.
Yet, the opposition lawmakers have forced both issues into the session’s agenda without discussion, showing their indifference to public safety and the opinions of experts, Wang said.
Nearly two-thirds of the KMT caucus — excluding its legislators-at-large — are facing recall votes, TSU Chairwoman Chou Ni-an (周倪安) said.
The high number of lawmakers at risk of losing their seats suggests that KMT and TPP lawmakers are members of a placeholder legislature, Chou said, adding that proper decorum demands that they vote for a recess.
The opposition has instead opted to prolong the legislative session well past May, the customary time for its termination, she said.
Legislators facing the imminent risk of losing their seats should no more conduct a legislative session than try to drive a broken-down car, she said.
Opposition lawmakers have yet to condemn China’s unilateral changes to the M503 flight route or include the matter in the legislative agenda, showing that they are making poor use of their unearned time, she said.
The TSU joined the KMT to uphold Taiwan’s national dignity in similar circumstances during the eighth legislative sessions when Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) was legislative speaker, Chou said.
However, unlike Wang Jin-pyng, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) has turned a blind eye to the danger posed by China, she said.
“There is no point to extending the session if lawmakers do not want to do their jobs,” Chou said.
“The KMT has earned the contempt of the public,” she added.
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