Five Cabinet officials are scheduled to meet with the head of the investigative committee probing the March 19 assassination attempt today in a bid to iron out differences over the controversial statute which called the committee into being.
"While the Executive Yuan supports the investigation into the shooting attempt, government agencies should take the initiative to visit committee convener Shih Chi-yang (施啟揚), who also supported the idea of amending the statute, in a bid to reach a consensus over the legal overhaul," Cabinet Spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) quoted Premier Yu Shyi-kun as saying during the press conference held after the weekly closed-door Cabinet meeting yesterday afternoon.
Chen said that the Executive Yuan would fully cooperate with the committee's investigation once questions about the constitutionality and legality of the March 19 Shooting Truth Investigation Special Committee Statute (
Shih, a former president of the Judicial Yuan, proposed a legal revision to the controversial legislation on Monday, when the committee started work.
The People First Party (PFP) has also presented draft amendments to the statute which would put a limit on the amount of time the committee will be given to carry out the probe.
The five Cabinet officials due to meet with Shih are Chen, Minister of the Interior Su Jia-chyuan (蘇 嘉全), Justice Minister Chen Ding-nan (陳定南), Minister without Portfolio Hsu Chi-hsiung (許志雄) and Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics Director-General Hsu Jan-yau (許璋瑤).
Yu made the request during yesterday's Cabinet meeting after listening to a briefing presented by Chen Ding-nan on the articles in the statute considered to be unfeasible.
According to Chen Ding-nan, the legislation is unfeasible because it is strewn with legal and constitutional flaws in as many as 60 articles.
He said that Article 8, for example, seemingly encroaches on the authority of prosecutors and judicial institutions, as it gives the committee jurisdiction over the investigation into the assassination attempt, as well as giving committee members rights equal to those of prosecutors.
The article also allows committee members to circumvent certain regulations, including the Law of National Secrets Protection (
Article 9 authorizes the committee to borrow civil of military prosecutors to assist in its investigation. While they are assisting the committee, prosecutors are authorized to not report or listen to their supervisors at their original agency.
Article 13 stipulates that the committee can request a review of the case if its findings conflict with an eventual court ruling.
Hsu Chi-hsiung said that the implementation of the law remains a big question, because it would be hard to interpret.
"This is the worst piece of legislation I've seen since martial law was lifted," he said.
Vice Minister of the Interior Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) voiced concern over the impact the legislation would have on social security during the year-end legislative elections.
"While committee members are authorized by the law to command law enforcement officers, we're worried that the crackdown on vote-buying and election-related disturbances would be interrupted," he said.
In related news, the committee yesterday decided that the eight vacant seats on the committee should all be filled.
The vacant seats are a result of a boycott by the Democratic Progressive Party and Taiwan Solidarity Union, as well as the withdrawal of former deputy director-general of the National Police Agency Yu Yue-tang (余玉堂).
"According to Article 2 of the statute governing the committee, the convener can choose members to fill up vacant seats," committee spokeswoman Wang Ching-feng (
Wang confirmed that former Control Yuan member Yeh Yao-peng (
additional reporting by Debby Wu
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