Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) yesterday solicited support from the public for his Cabinet’s strategies to revitalize the economy after he sailed through a no-confidence motion, which was voted down by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and two independent lawmakers.
“We need your support,” Chen said, in brief comments to reporters in front of the chamber of the legislative building after the vote.
Chen was flanked by Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and a group of KMT lawmakers, who together chanted “Boost the economy. Salvage Taiwan. Sean Chen jia you [加油, an expression of encouragement]. Cabinet jia you. Taiwan jia you.”
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Drawing on an old Chinese saying that it takes three years of painstaking effort to cure a seven-year-long disease, Chen said the Cabinet will work hard to improve the economy, “which has been sick for 20 years,” in the shortest possible time.
Chen said Taiwan’s export-oriented economy has some serious problems that the Cabinet would endeavor to resolve as soon as possible, adding that the economic revival includes plans to channel capital to strategic service sectors and speed up major infrastructure projects such as the Taoyuan Aerotropolis and port expansions in Keelung and Greater Kaohsiung.
However, to achieve those goals, the Cabinet would need the legislature’s support, he added.
He thanked the KMT lawmakers, who hold a 64-seat majority in the legislature, for voting against the no-confidence motion.
The motion was initiated by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucuses last week, and failed on a vote of 46 to 66, with the number of “yes” votes falling short of the required threshold of 57 votes.
“We regret that KMT lawmakers bowed to their party’s discipline to vote against the will of the people and cater to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九),” DPP Legislator Pan Men-an (潘孟安) said.
Among the 112 lawmakers who cast ballots in the 113-seat legislature, the “yes” votes came from 39 DPP lawmakers, three TSU lawmakers, three People First Party (PFP) lawmakers and independent Legislator Yen Ching-piao (顏清標).
Yen said he “mistakenly” voted in favor of the motion and felt sorry about it.
“It was simply a reflex because I always vote ‘yes’ in support of the KMT,” said Yen, who went over to Wang after he cast the ballot to find out that he got it wrong.
The other two independent lawmakers, May Chin (高金素梅) and Chen Hsueh-sheng (陳雪生), sided with the 64-seat KMT in voting against the motion. Wang and Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) also cast ballots in favor of Chen.
DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), who was in South Korea attending her daughter’s wedding, was the only one absent from the vote.
The KMT had initially counted on support from the PFP and the three independent lawmakers to bring the number of “no” votes to 70.
After the vote, Wang wondered why the PFP had changed its mind at the last minute.
PFP caucus whip Thomas Lee (李桐豪) said his party voted for the motion because the Executive Yuan had failed to propose concrete measures to address issues related to electricity hikes, youth unemployment and rising consumer prices.
On Friday, Lee told the legislative floor that the PFP would like to give Sean Chen’s Cabinet a probationary period of three months to handle the three issues.
According to the Constitution, as a result of the vote, the legislature may not initiate another no-confidence motion against Sean Chen for one year.
Before the vote, outgoing KMT Secretary-General Lin Join-sane (林中森) and Executive Yuan Secretary-General Steven Chen (陳士魁) attended a caucus meeting of their party to ensure all 64 members would vote against the motion.
At the meeting, KMT Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) demanded that Ma reconsider the qualifications of some economic officials, saying that economic officials should be replaced if the government fails to bring back economy by the end of this year.
Ma yesterday thanked pan-blue legislators who voted to block the motion to depose Sean Chen, while urging the Cabinet to spare no effort to present policies that meet the public’s expectations.
Presidential Office Spokesman Fan Chiang Tai-chi (范姜泰基) said Ma had called party caucus members to express his gratitude for their support of the Cabinet. In another call made to Sean Chen, Ma said he expected him and all Cabinet members to work harder and have a deeper understanding of people’s needs.
“President Ma respects the opposition camp’s rights to initiate the vote of no confidence, but since the vote is over, the opposition camp should work with the government to improve the economy,” he said.
When asked to comment on the motion, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday also called on the pan-blue and pan-green camps to put aside the differences and join efforts to revive the economy.
Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
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