Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday defied the party line on the issue of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant during the legislative vote to change the discussion agenda.
The plant is located in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮).
The ruling and opposition party caucuses yesterday locked horns over the addition of the nuclear issue to the agenda, after an attempt to do so was obstructed by the KMT at a meeting of the Procedure Committee on Tuesday.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union had asked for the agenda to include proposals in which Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) would be required to deliver a special report to the legislature on the immediate termination of the construction and the slashing of the plant’s NT$8.1 billion (US$269 million) budget.
The KMT voted down the proposals, but not all of its members voted against.
KMT Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華), whose constituency is in New Taipei City, defied instructions issued by his party and voted yes for proposals motioned by the opposition parties relating to the construction.
Also voting against the party were KMT legislators Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾), Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) and Lo Ming-tsai (羅明才), who voted for additions to next week’s agenda on Tuesday of the termination of the construction and the budget reductions.
The KMT caucus had demanded the presence of all its legislators for the ballot, and KMT deputy caucus whip Wang Ting-son (王廷升) had said that party discipline would be enforced, with fines imposed to punish those who failed to show up or voted against the party consensus.
After the vote, Lo told reporters that the KMT lawmakers “have no chance to express their own opinions.”
“You have to persuade us instead of forcing us to support [the party resolution], which is futile,” she added.
Lee said he believed that the party caucus was “well-aware of his stance [on the issue].”
Saying that he had once proposed holding a referendum on the termination of the plant’s construction — which he later retracted — Lee said it would have been lying to the public yesterday if he had not voted in the same way.
Meanwhile, the KMT also voted through a draft act to raise the requirements for recalling legislators.
The move has sparked controversy at a time when a campaign to recall various KMT legislators is ongoing.
The draft act, which requires that the petitioners provide photocopies of identity cards and affidavits — in addition to the existing requirements for name, address and identification number — was passed by the KMT majority last year and bypassed the standing committee’s deliberation for a direct second reading.
The opposition said, at the time, that the bill was a special clause for KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇), who was the target of a public recall campaign.
The KMT yesterday placed the bill on Tuesday’s agenda, which means it could pass a second reading with a floor vote.
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
MEET AND GREET: The White House, which called the interaction ‘just a handshake,’ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden planned to visit Taiwan’s envoy to the APEC summit, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), on Friday invited US President Joe Biden to visit Taiwan. During the APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue, Lin, who represented President William Lai (賴清德) at the summit, spoke with Biden and expressed gratitude to the outgoing US president for his contribution to improving bilateral ties between Taipei and Washington over the past four years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Lin and Biden exchanged views during the conversation, with Lin extending an invitation to Biden to visit Taiwan, it said. Biden is to step down in January next year, when US president-elect Donald Trump is
RSS