The majority of Control Yuan nominees yesterday made public their conditional support for abolishing the agency during a review at the Legislative Yuan.
The legislature had requested that the six Control Yuan nominees — former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇), former Judicial Reform Foundation chief executive officer Kao Yung-cheng (高涌誠), Taiwan Association for Disability Rights secretary-general Wang Yu-ling (王幼玲), former minister without portfolio Lin Sheng-feng (林盛豐), National Yang Ming University public health professor Peter Chang (張武修) and former DPP legislator Walis Perin — be present for the review, which was carried out in the form of a question-and-answer session.
Asked by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) whether they agreed that the Control Yuan should be abolished, Tien started her response by mentioning former Control Yuan members Huang Huang-hsiung (黃煌雄) and Chang Teh-ming (張德銘).
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
“If all Control Yuan members can live up to the standards set by Huang and Chang Teh-ming when investigating,” Tien said, before she was interrupted by Lee, who demanded a straight answer.
Tien said she conditionally agreed.
Until the Constitution is amended, it is necessary to retain the Control Yuan, which could be repurposed in the meantime, Wang said.
Perin said he would agree to abolish it if a constitutional amendment was passed by lawmakers and approved via a referendum.
Kao said the Control Yuan has no place in his ideal constitutional system, but that does not mean he endorses annulling the right of audit, which should be returned to the legislature after the Constitution is amended.
Lin said he conditionally agreed.
Peter Chang was the only nominee who unconditionally agreed to the idea.
Lee then asked Tien whether she would stand her ground on US pork containing ractopamine and file a correction against the Council of Agriculture if it allowed US pork to be imported.
After Tien said she would, Lee challenged her response.
“Of course I would,” Tien said.
The KMT lawmaker then asked Kao whether he would open a case to investigate police who allegedly obstructed lawyers offering legal assistance to labor rights campaigners lying down on the tracks at Taipei Railway Station on Monday in a protest over amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法).
Kao declined to comment on an “isolated” case, saying that it would hamper his investigative neutrality if his nomination is approved by lawmakers on Tuesday next week.
However, after Lee pressed him, Kao said that authorities should treat lawyers performing their duties with a certain level of respect, adding that he would investigate what he deems worthy issues if confirmed.
KMT Legislator Chen Yi-min (陳宜民) asked the six nominees whether they were members of a political party, and found that, except for Kao and Peter Chang, all are members of the DPP.
Tien protested after being asked by Chen if she believed that Control Yuan members should look past their political affiliations, saying that she is “clearly” politically affiliated, but that does not mean she would perform her duties as Control Yuan member in a biased manner.
Police have issued warnings against traveling to Cambodia or Thailand when others have paid for the travel fare in light of increasing cases of teenagers, middle-aged and elderly people being tricked into traveling to these countries and then being held for ransom. Recounting their ordeal, one victim on Monday said she was asked by a friend to visit Thailand and help set up a bank account there, for which they would be paid NT$70,000 to NT$100,000 (US$2,136 to US$3,051). The victim said she had not found it strange that her friend was not coming along on the trip, adding that when she
INFRASTRUCTURE: Work on the second segment, from Kaohsiung to Pingtung, is expected to begin in 2028 and be completed by 2039, the railway bureau said Planned high-speed rail (HSR) extensions would blanket Taiwan proper in four 90-minute commute blocs to facilitate regional economic and livelihood integration, Railway Bureau Deputy Director-General Yang Cheng-chun (楊正君) said in an interview published yesterday. A project to extend the high-speed rail from Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung to Pingtung County’s Lioukuaicuo Township (六塊厝) is the first part of the bureau’s greater plan to expand rail coverage, he told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). The bureau’s long-term plan is to build a loop to circle Taiwan proper that would consist of four sections running from Taipei to Hualien, Hualien to
The Civil Aviation Administration yesterday said that it is considering punishments for China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines for making hard landings and overworking their cabin crew when the nation was hit by Typhoon Kong-rey in October last year. The civil aviation authority launched an investigation after media reported that many airlines were forced to divert their flights to different airports or go around after failing to land when the typhoon affected the nation on Oct. 30 and 31 last year. The agency reviewed 503 flights dispatched by Taiwanese airlines during those two days, as well as weather data, flight hours
Three people have had their citizenship revoked after authorities confirmed that they hold Chinese ID cards, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said yesterday. Two of the three people were featured in a recent video about Beijing’s “united front” tactics by YouTuber Pa Chiung (八炯) and Taiwanese rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源), including Su Shi-en (蘇士恩), who displayed a Chinese ID card in the video, and taekwondo athlete Lee Tung-hsien (李東憲), who mentioned he had obtained a Chinese ID card in a telephone call with Chen, Liang told the council’s weekly news conference. Lee, who reportedly worked in
RSS