Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday accused the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of reviving “black gold” politics with a proposed amendment that would help party legislators whose election victories have been annulled to keep their posts.
DPP Legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) told a press conference that KMT legislators had proposed an amendment to the Public Officials Election and Recall Law (公職人員選舉罷免法) that stipulates that elected officials whose election victories have been annulled would only lose their posts after a third and final trial, with no time limit imposed on the duration of each trial.
Chai said the current law removes elected officials from their post after losing a second trial; each trial must also be completed within six months.
The Yunlin District Court on Friday annulled the election victory of KMT Legislator Chang Sho-wen (張碩文) in a first trial. Chang's rival, DPP legislative candidate Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國), filed a lawsuit in January, accusing Chang of bribery.
Chang said he would appeal the decision.
“The amendment is aimed at prolonging the trials and helping KMT legislators maintain their posts. With such a law, Chang would be able to finish his term because the final verdict would be delayed indefinitely,” Chai said.
Of the 60 KMT lawmakers elected to local constituencies, five have seen their victories annulled, and the KMT aims to keep them in their posts by amending the law, the DPP legislator said.
By assisting questionable legislators, Chai said the KMT was attempting to revive “black gold” politics, or political corruption.
KMT caucus whip Lin Yi-shih (林益世) shrugged off the DPP's criticism, saying the bill had been proposed a while ago and that both the KMT and the DPP could deliberate over how to amend the law.
Lin accused the DPP of attempting to discredit the KMT, saying a single legislator's proposal did not reflect the stance of the entire caucus on amending the law.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
RSS