The legislature is bracing for another showdown today when lawmakers are slated to decide whether to invite President Chen Shui-bian (
The four legislative caucuses have all issued a top-mobilization order asking members to attend the assembly.
The ruling DPP is expected to have difficulty defeating the motion when it is introduced by the TSU.
"We are not against the proposal itself," said DPP legislative whip Wang Tuoh (
The ruling party, with 89 votes in the 225-member legislature, lacks the majority needed to block the measure.
For the first time since the session began on Feb. 1, its 13 TSU allies said they would vote at odds with the DPP in the interest of upholding the Constitution.
The proposed fourth constitutional amendment stipulates that the lawmaking body may hear a report by the president on the state of the nation.
"We find it important for the president to set an example for future successors to follow," said TSU lawmaker Chen Chien-ming (
He added that his party is not an organ of the DPP.
Before the National Assembly was reduced to a non-regular organ in 2000, the president had to appear before its convocation, hearing and responding to their advice on national affairs.
Though the legislature has since taken over the power of the assembly, it has not maintained this particular practice.
President Chen has said he is willing to fulfill any duty required of him, but is hesitant to take questions from lawmakers, as the practice falls outside the constitutional design.
Both the KMT and the PFP have signaled their approval of the invitation and suggested holding a question-and-answer session right after Chen's speech.
"With the country facing critical challenges at home and abroad, we don't think Chen's speech alone will satisfy our need to know," said PFP lawmaker Thomas Lee (
KMT legislative whip Lin Yi-shih (
But Wang said that even if the motion passes, the DPP caucus would continue seeking to postpone the speech during cross-party talks.
He expressed apprehension that opposition lawmakers would grill the president over the recent disclosure of classified intelligence documents.
"Legislators should not be allowed to embarrass the president when exercising their right of oversight," Wang said.
"We will try to get all caucuses to agree on when the speech will be held, how it will be carried out, what it should cover and so on."
Also, the legislature will vote on whether to set up an investigative committee to probe the Lafayette frigate affair -- an arms-purchasing scandal dating back to the KMT-controlled government.
In addition, the lawmaking body will take up the PFP motion on whether to ask the Council of Grand Justices to rule on the legality of disfranchising "ghost voters" -- residents who move their registered residency to other districts months ahead of certain elections in an attempt to affect their outcome.
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of
The entire Alishan Forest Railway line is to reopen for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, with tickets to go on sale at 2pm today. The historic railway from Chiayi to Alishan (阿里山) is finally set to reopen after the completion of the final No. 42 tunnel, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office Deputy Director-General Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱) said. It is to run on a new timetable, with four trains daily, he said. The 9am train is to depart from Chiayi Railway Station bound for Shizilu Station (十字路), while the 10am train departing from Chiayi is to go all the
FLU CONTINUES: Hospitals reported 101,091 visits for flu-like illnesses last week, while 68 severe cases and 16 flu-related deaths were also reported, the CDC said The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported 932 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 and 64 related deaths for last week, adding that the number of people who had contracted new SARS-CoV-2 subvariants KP.2 and LB.1 has increased. The number of people hospitalized due to COVID-19 increased from 815 in the previous week to 932 last week, while 90 percent of the 64 deceased were aged 65 or older, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said. JN.1 was still the dominant variant among local and imported cases in the past four weeks, while KP.2 was the second-most common, Lin said. Cases with the LB.1 subvariant