The People First Party (PFP) yesterday said that its lawmakers would not provide the signatures the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus requires to file a request for a constitutional interpretation on the passage of an act dealing with ill-gotten party assets.
The PFP openly rejected the KMT’s request to jointly file a request in the legislature for a constitutional interpretation on the Act Governing the Handling of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations (政黨及其附隨組織不當取得財產處理條例), which was passed on Monday last week.
As it requires at least one-third, or 38, legislators to file a request for a constitutional interpretation and the KMT caucus has only 35 seats, the KMT needs to form an alliance with lawmakers from other parties to reach the threshold.
Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
The KMT caucus last week said that it had approached the PFP for its support.
However, the PFP publicly spurned that invitation yesterday, with PFP Deputy Secretary-General Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) saying that the party “supports fairness and transitional justice.”
“It is not possible [for PFP legislators] to underwrite the request,” he added.
In a statement, the party also denied a rumor that the PFP’s rejection of the request was related to PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) vying with KMT Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) for the chairmanship of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF).
“The PFP has always held the view that the KMT’s party assets should be dealt with legally and reasonably, and had also put forward such a policy during the [presidential and legislative] election campaign period; when the legislature was reviewing the bill, the PFP caucus also voted for its passage, so there is no question that the PFP would form an alliance with the KMT to file a request for a constitutional interpretation,” the statement said.
“The KMT should take this opportunity to reflect and make changes to its structure,” it said, adding that “people with a vested interest” are trying to distract public attention from the KMT’s assets by spreading rumors about an alleged SEF tussle.
The party also called on the media not to try to second-guess the party’s position on the cross-strait relationship.
“The cross-strait relationship is in an awkward and delicate state that cannot be turned around by any one person, but requires everybody’s strength to keep it stable and to reduce friction,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Legislator May Chin (高金素梅) has reportedly agreed to provide her signature to the KMT, which leaves the party needing another two.
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