Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) today remained silent when questioned at the Legislative Yuan regarding China-born Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Legislator Li Zhenxiu’s (李貞秀) eligibility to hold office.
Chiu appeared before the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee alongside Straits Exchange Foundation chairman Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全).
He refused to answer any direct questions posed by Li, although he responded to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Liao Hsien-hsiang (廖先翔) when she repeated Li’s questions.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Li, who was born in China and married a Taiwanese man, was sworn in as a legislator-at-large for the TPP on Feb. 3.
The government contends that she failed to fulfill several qualifying conditions to take office — including formally renouncing her Chinese citizenship — leading to cross-party infighting as to her eligibility to serve as a legislator.
Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) of the KMT earlier this month said that he would allow Li to assume her seat until the courts reach a final verdict.
Li, alongside fellow TPP legislators Chen Chao-chi (陳昭姿) and caucus whip Jacky Chen (陳清龍), today requested to give joint questioning.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus said that there was no precedent for joint questioning and argued against the request.
The meeting’s convenor, Liao, called for a recess and TPP legislators began holding up signs accusing the Ministry of the Interior and the council of “killing the political rights of Chinese spouses.”
After the recess, Liao granted the three legislators the right to joint questioning.
As Chiu approached the podium, Li said that the MAC, interior ministry and Executive Yuan do not have the authority to determine the status of Legislative Yuan members, and if the executive branch overrides the legislature, “democracy will be destroyed.”
She then requested that Chiu read aloud Article 4 of the Constitution and Article 11 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution (中華民國憲法增修條文).
Chiu refused to respond to Li’s line of questioning, responding only to Liao’s reiterations.
He reiterated the council’s stance that Li had not renounced her household registration and nationality in China with sufficient time prior to taking office and in accordance with the law, and therefore did not meet eligibility requirements under cross-strait regulations.
He said it would be “unconstitutional and illegal” for an official to respond to someone without legislative qualification, adding that the government cannot knowingly break the law.
Similarly, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) on Monday last week refused to answer to Li’s line of questioning at a meeting of the Internal Administration Committee.
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