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.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man plowed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday night. Footage showing bodies lying on the pavement appeared on social media in the hours after the crash, but had vanished by early Tuesday morning, and local police reported only “injuries.” It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died — in one of the country’s deadliest incidents in years. China heavily monitors social media platforms, where it is common for words and topics deemed
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
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