The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday accused President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of acting like an “empress” and unconstitutionally expanding her powers by holding a weekly High-Level Policy Coordination Meeting, which it said is detrimental to democratic and constitutional development.
“Back in 2009, Tsai, who was the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson at the time, criticized then-president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for doubling as KMT chairman, accusing him of entangling party and state, and attempting to return to authoritarianism,” KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director Hu Wen-chi (胡文琦) told a news conference in Taipei.
Tsai also raised concerns that, given the KMT’s large majority in the legislature, Ma’s control over both the executive and legislative branches could undermine the Constitution’s checks and balances, Hu said.
Calling Tsai the “mother of an emperor,” Hu said DPP Legislator Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) has said that Tsai doubling as DPP chairperson is to aid the president in delivering on her campaign promises to promote coordination between the government and the party, and allow more room for the executive branch of government.
“Since Premier Lin Chuan’s (林全) role in the Executive Yuan no longer exists and he has no real power, he should know his place and step down,” Hu said, referring to Tsai’s decision to hold the weekly meeting.
Hu also urged Tsai to reflect on her actions, saying that her insistence on acting like Tang Dynasty empress Wu Zetian (武則天) would have an adverse effect on democratic and constitutional development.
The KMT criticism came a day after Tsai convened the first High-Level Policy Coordination Meeting on Monday, bringing together officials from the Executive Yuan and the DPP to deliberate on major government policies and social issues.
During the two-hour meeting, Tsai instructed the Executive Yuan and the DPP legislative caucus to pass a bill to introduce a five-day workweek with two mandatory days off by the end of the year, while reiterating her administration’s determination to carry out pension reform.
In response to the KMT’s criticism, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said the government is a team and who is captain of that team is not an issue.
“The weekly meeting is meant to serve as a coordination mechanism … to allow the Presidential Office, the Executive Yuan, the legislature and local government heads to meet regularly to determine the direction and timetable of major issues and decide the division of labor,” Huang said.
The meetings are expected to make the administration’s policymaking process more efficient and ensure the smooth promotion of major policies and reforms, Huang said.
‘CROWN JEWEL’: Washington ‘can delay and deter’ Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plans for Taiwan, but it is ‘a very delicate situation there,’ the secretary of state said US President Donald Trump is opposed to any change to Taiwan’s “status quo” by force or extortion and would maintain that policy, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Hugh Hewitt Show host on Wednesday. The US’ policy is to maintain Taiwan’s “status quo” and to oppose any changes in the situation by force or extortion, Rubio said. Hewitt asked Rubio about the significance of Trump earlier this month speaking with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) at the White House, a meeting that Hewitt described as a “big deal.” Asked whether the meeting was an indication of the
‘RELATIVELY STRONG LANGUAGE’: An expert said the state department has not softened its language on China and was ‘probably a little more Taiwan supportive’ China’s latest drills near Taiwan on Monday were “brazen and irresponsible threats,” a US Department of State spokesperson said on Tuesday, while reiterating Washington’s decades-long support of Taipei. “China cannot credibly claim to be a ‘force for stability in a turbulent world’ while issuing brazen and irresponsible threats toward Taiwan,” the unnamed spokesperson said in an e-mailed response to media queries. Washington’s enduring commitment to Taiwan will continue as it has for 45 years and the US “will continue to support Taiwan in the face of China’s military, economic, informational and diplomatic pressure campaign,” the e-mail said. “Alongside our international partners, we firmly
KAOHSIUNG CEREMONY: The contract chipmaker is planning to build 5 fabs in the southern city to gradually expand its 2-nanometer chip capacity Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday confirmed that it plans to hold a ceremony on March 31 to unveil a capacity expansion plan for its most advanced 2-nanometer chips in Kaohsiung, demonstrating its commitment to further investment at home. The ceremony is to be hosted by TSMC cochief operating officer Y.P. Chyn (秦永沛). It did not disclose whether Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and high-ranking government officials would attend the ceremony. More details are to be released next week, it said. The chipmaker’s latest move came after its announcement earlier this month of an additional US$100 billion
Authorities yesterday elaborated on the rules governing Employment Gold Cards after a US cardholder was barred from entering Taiwan for six years after working without a permit during a 2023 visit. American YouTuber LeLe Farley was barred after already being approved for an Employment Gold Card, he said in a video published on his channel on Saturday. Farley, who has more than 420,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, was approved for his Gold Card last month, but was told at a check-in counter at the Los Angeles International Airport that he could not enter Taiwan. That was because he previously participated in two
RSS