Amid squabbling and haggling, a legislative committee yesterday approved a preliminary review of amendments to two government restructuring laws, while several controversial articles were reserved for cross-party negotiations.
The Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee reviewed revisions to the Organic Standard Act of Central Government Agencies (中央行政機關組織基準法) in the morning and draft bills on amending the Act Governing the Total Number of Civil Servants Employed by Central Government Agencies (中央政府機關總員額法) in the afternoon.
The morning session got off to a rough start when Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) engaged in a slanging match.
Hsieh accused Ker of failing to propose any substantive suggestions regarding the bills over the past one-and-a-half years, but instead used different means to boycott their review.
“What I say now is based on my year-long observations,” Hsieh said. “The difference between you and me is that I don’t kick up a fuss when you are talking.”
Ker requested that the new head of the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission, Chu Chin-peng (朱景鵬), deliver a special report on government restructuring before beginning a review of related bills.
KMT Legislator Pan Wei-kang (潘維剛) asked the committee’s convenor, KMT Legislator Wu Ching-chih (吳清池), to consider Ker’s proposal, as the committee had already begun an article-by-article review.
After a 10-minute recess, KMT members agreed to allow Ker’s request and asked Chu to briefly explain his position. Chu said he agreed that the committee should first review the amendments to the Organic Standard Act of Central Government Agencies.
Among the controversial articles contained in the revisions, committee members could not see eye to eye on the proposed limits on the number of ministries, commissions, independent agencies, bureaus and administrative departments.
They also did not reach an agreement on the date when the amended law should be implemented. Nor did they concur on whether the Cabinet’s top-level agencies should be empowered to establish ad hoc institutions with a provisional decree should any “emergency or special or major event” occur.
During the afternoon session, the committee tackled two controversial draft bills on amending the Act Governing the Total Number of Civil Servants Employed by Central Government Agencies for cross-party negotiations.
Under the Executive Yuan’s proposal, the limit on the number of civil servants employed by the central government would be increased to 173,000, about 9,000 more than the current maximum. Civil servants would be divided into five categories and the 173,000 maximum would not include teachers and employees of public high schools and vocational schools.
DPP legislators’ proposal would set the ceiling at 200,000, but the number would cover six categories including teachers and employees at public high schools and vocational schools. The DPP version would gradually reduce the number to 185,000 six years after the law is implemented.
The committee did agree to grant the DPP’s request to hold at least one public hearing on the two pieces of legislation before the required inter-party talks are held.
In related news, the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee yesterday unfroze NT$14.3 million (US$444 million) that makes up about one-fifth of the Mainland Affairs Council’s (MAC) Chinese Development Fund.
The fund is to be used for sponsoring events that enhance cross-strait exchanges in science, sports, technology and academic fields.
The committee froze part of the fund because lawmakers thought that some of the Chinese Development Fund’s functions overlapped with the MAC’s duties and said it was unnecessary to grant the council two budgets for performing the same function.
However, the committee released the funds after MAC Minister Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) promised that the council would carefully review sponsoring applications.
“We would turn down an application if the event involved any downgrading [of Taiwan’s sovereignty], if it were in violation of any law or regulation, or if the event organizer had a bad history,” she told the committee.
Meanwhile, Lai denied media reports that a financial memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Taiwan and China would be signed in a third country.
Several media outlets, including the Chinese-language Central Daily News, reported that the MOU would be signed by the end of the month in a third country, citing an unnamed high-ranking official.
“The government will announce where and when the MOU will be signed,” Lai told the committee. “Please disregard any rumors until the government makes an official announcement.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LOA IOK-SIN
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