The Citizen Congress Watch (CCW) criticized the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday for failing to fulfill its promise of legislative reform, citing the high number of KMT absences at the legislature and the stalled sunshine bills.
Statistics released by the CCW at a press conference held outside the Legislative Yuan showed KMT Legislator Chang Chia-chun (張嘉郡) topping the list with 18 absences during the legislative session from February to May. KMT legislators Liu Chuan-chung (劉銓忠) and Tsao Erh-chung (曹爾忠) ranked second with 16 absences each and Lii Ming-shing (李明星) placed third with 15 absences.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Chi-yu (陳啟昱) and Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Legislator Yen Chin-piao (顏清標) also ranked second.
PHOTO: CNA
“Since the legislative session began, the legislature’s efficiency has been really disappointing,” CCW chairman Ku Chung-hwa (顧忠華) said.
“The KMT leadership, including [President] Ma Ying-jeou [馬英九], [KMT chairman] Wu Poh-hsiung [吳伯雄] and [Legislative Speaker] Wang Jin-pyng [王金平] repeatedly told the public that the KMT, with the majority in the legislature and the governing party, will make legislative efficiency and self-discipline its priority” Ku said.
“They also said they would push for legislative reform and pass the sunshine bills — but what do we see now?” Ku said.
Ku urged lawmakers to strive to “achieve perfect attendance records and work harder to have the sunshine bills passed.”
Approached for comment, Chang said a legislator’s performance should not be judged solely on his or her record of attendance.
“I was helping to take care of the fertilizer [shortage] problem and flooding because of heavy rains in Yunlin County,” she said. “Although I wasn’t at legislative meetings, I was helping the farmers in my constituency.”
Liu said he was busy attending the funeral of farmers who died because of the heat, while Tsao said he was unable to return to Taipei from his constituency in Matsu because of heavy fog.
Liu said that he was out of the country on official business.
Chen said he was busy running for local chapter chairman, but promised that he would spend more time at the legislature as the local party chief election was over.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS