The governing party failed the nation by ignoring public disapproval of its list of Control Yuan nominees and trying to ram the nominations through, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
Tsai made the remarks as she fought back against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) allegations that she is solely responsible for the legislature’s failure on Friday to approve the nominations.
The DPP blocked the approval vote on the final day of the legislature’s extra session, calling the roster “the worst in history.”
Photo: Lai Hsiao-tung, Taipei Times
The blockade has sparked harsh criticism from the KMT, which held Tsai accountable for it.
Tsai yesterday said that as the term length of the Control Yuan members is six years, President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) nomination actually deprives the next president of the right of nomination and the next legislature of the right of approval. This deprivation would incur chaos to the constitutional system and results from the KMT’s long-term machination of Control Yuan nominations.
Tsai asked the KMT whether the president has met society’s expectations by fulfilling the duties of his office, saying the public was dissatisfied with the nominations.
With a roster as controversial as it is, the ruling party still failed to give it a second thought and planned to ram it through via a legislative majority, Tsai said.
“It is simply unacceptable,” she added.
Separately, DPP spokesperson Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) expressed regret over what she said was an attack by Ma on his compatriots that began when he left for Central America on a diplomatic tour last week.
Hsu said the nation has been unified, hoping that the president would have a successful trip to Central America, but during Ma’s visit to nations that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the nation’s name was relegated to “China Taiwan.”
Ma was also blocked from the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in San Francisco and had to hold a banquet in a hotel while on a stopover in the city, Hsu said, adding that many media outlets were not able to get in.
The DPP spokesperson said the predicament showed that Taiwan’s diplomatic situation has not improved with a detente with China, as Ma claims. On the contrary, it has gotten worse with Ma’s so-called diplomatic truce, the spokesperson said.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS