Lawmakers across party lines called for the abolition of the Control Yuan after its members decided not to impeach Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) on Thursday for allegedly leaking details of an ongoing investigation to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), accusing them of succumbing to their personal ambition to be renominated as members by the president next year.
A tied vote in the Control Yuan resulted in the defeat of a motion to impeach Huang for his role in a political storm over wiretapping lawmakers that involves the president and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平).
The current Control Yuan members’ six-year term is set to expire on July 31 next year.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) said it was natural that the Control Yuan would obey Ma’s orders since its members were nominated by the president with the consent of the legislature, which has become nothing but an extension of Ma’s will.
“When it comes to a case implicating Ma, what more can we expect from such an obedient agency other than unprincipled protection and a cover up?” Lee said.
DPP Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said the outcome was anticipated, given Control Yuan President Wang Chien-shien’s (王建煊) moves to blame Wang for the so-called September political strife while sending a floral basket to Huang.
DPP Legislator Pan Men-an (潘孟安) said the Control Yuan lost its credibility long ago because it only targeted “flies” not “tigers.”
“Who would risk jeopardizing their chances of being renominated to crack down on the ‘criminal gang’ of Ma, Huang and [Premier] Jiang [Yi-huah, 江宜樺],” Pan said.
The legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee convener Wu Yi-chen (吳宜臻) said a government watchdog that was incapable of impeaching a prosecutor-general guilty of dereliction and abuse of power should be dissolved.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Ken-te (陳根德) said that the Control Yuan’s decision fell short of public expectation, urging it not to take the people for fools.
KMT Legislator Liao Cheng-ching (廖正井) said that Huang should take a leave of absence during the period of his trial for allegedly leaking classified information related to an ongoing investigation.
Meanwhile, the Judicial Reform Foundation said Huang was no longer fit to be prosecutor-general after his indictment on charges of leaking classified information earlier this month and that Control Yuan members should launch a second motion to impeach him to quash criticism that they were too wary of not being renominated to act.
Separately yesterday, KMT spokesman Yang Wei-chung (楊偉中) dismissed accusations that Ma was behind the Control Yuan’s failure to impeach Huang.
Additional reporting by Hsiang Cheng-chen and Mo Yan-chih
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to