The failure of some government officials to answer legislative inquiries triggered a heated debate between ruling and opposition lawmakers yesterday, with Premier Yu Shyi-kun seeking to stay above the fray.
Opposition legislators said they could not effectively exercise legislative oversight in the absence of Cabinet ministers they invite to committee meetings. But their DPP counterparts doubted the necessity of having government officials attend all those forums, many of which are aimed at embarrassing them.
KMT Legislator Yang Chiung-ying (
"I suggest punishing the former by holding them in contempt of the legislature," Yang said, challenging the latter to attend the sessions.
Saying they are fed up with the administration's disrespect, leaders from the opposition KMT and PFP caucuses walked out of a cross-party talk Monday afternoon and have shut down all negotiations.
"Since the session began [in February], the DPP administration has been trampling on the legislature," PFP Legislative Whip Diane Lee (李慶安) said. "We find it meaningless to conduct cross-party talks before the problem is addressed."
Earlier, the four legislative caucuses had agreed to decide tomorrow whether to unfreeze a monthly stipend for senior citizens, among other policy issues that the Cabinet has tagged as priority.
Going a step further, KMT Legislator Kwan Yuk-noan (
Chen has declined four invitations to testify before legislative committees in the last two months on grounds none of his KMT predecessors ever set foot in the lawmaking body.
Also top on the list of no-shows are National Security Bureau Director Tsai Chao-ming (
Defending the administration, DPP Legislator Kou Wen-chen (
"How can the government concentrate on boosting the economy if its officials have to partake in political stunts staged by opposition lawmakers," Kuo asked.
DPP Legislative Whip Hsu Jung-shu (許榮淑) echoed the concern, noting that all Cabinet ministers have to attend full-house interpellation sessions twice a week already.
"They will have little time for policy-making if they have to take part in committee discussions as well as meetings held by various subgroups," Hsu said.
The 12 legislature's standing committees meet three times a week.
Wang Tuoh (王拓), another DPP lawmaker, said his party has asked Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to help end the stalemate but estimated it would take some time before the opposition would return to the negotiating table.
The premier, known for his humility, compared himself to a traditional daughter-in-law in Taiwanese society, when asked to comment on the latest partisan spat.
"When the mother-in-law is giving admonitions, the daughter-in-law had better listen quietly," Yu said. "So I find it well-advised for me not to say anything on the matter."
* Secretary-General Chen Shih-meng has declined four invitations to testify before legislative committees in the last two months on grounds that none of his KMT predecessors ever set foot in the lawmaking body.
* Opposition legislators said they could not effectively exercise legislative oversight in the absence of Cabinet ministers they invite to committee meetings.
* The DPP doubts the need to have government officials attend all committee forums, many of which are aimed at embarrassing them.
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS