The Taiwan People’s Party’s (TPP) Central Evaluation Committee is slated to hold a meeting on Thursday next week concerning TPP Legislator Li Zhenxiu (李貞秀).
Li is the first “Chinese spouse” to serve in the legislature. However, since taking office in February, she has been embroiled in controversy. Recently, she said during a livestream that Hsinchu mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) had received NT$7 million (US$218,941) from former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), sparking widespread criticism among supporters leading to a formal complaint being filed against her.
Members of the committee reportedly urged Li during a committee meeting on Monday to be more mindful of her actions and insinuated that she should step down, but she rejected the suggestion.
Photo: Taipei Times
Li reportedly said that per the party’s “Disciplinary Evaluation and Decision Guidelines,” the party could only suspend her, adding that if the party attempted to expel her, she would file a lawsuit.
The committee is slated to reconvene on Thursday next week to discuss the matter further, with a rumor emerging yesterday that the it would announce disciplinary action against Li and expel her in line with Article 36 of the “Disciplinary Evaluation and Decision Guidelines.”
Article 36 states that “for other disciplinary violations by party members, depending on the severity of the situation, the party may expel the member or impose a lesser penalty, based on a proposal by more than half of the members present at the Central Evaluation Committee and a resolution passed by two-thirds of the committee.”
In response, TPP spokeswoman Chang Tung (張彤) yesterday said “the committee, as an independent body exercising its authority, is handling the complaint against Li with a fair and serious attitude.”
“Whether there has been any violation of party discipline and the related decisions are still under review,” she added.
According to the regulations, if Li is expelled from the party, she would simultaneously lose her legislator-at-large seat.
Insiders said the party originally placed Li on the at-large list to provide new immigrants in Taiwan with a direct voice in the legislature and to project the image that new immigrants could enter the Legislative Yuan as well as to align with Ko’s emphasis on citizen-politics, thereby appealing to more support groups.
However, Li has repeatedly sparked controversies with reckless remarks and made little positive impact, sources said, adding that many supporters are already outraged.
Li yesterday did not directly address the controversy, but instead posted on Facebook saying: “Fear God, be loyal to your duties, and may good people have peace throughout their lives.”
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