Constitutional reform is one of the most important advancements for Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday, adding that items that should be prioritized include lowering the voting age from 20 to 18, and abolishing the Examination Yuan and the Control Yuan, as the issues have cross-party consensus.
Tsai made the remarks in a speech at the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) national congress in Taipei, which she presided over in her capacity as party chairperson.
Tsai highlighted major missions for the party.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
First, the DPP should quickly propose guidelines on constitutional amendments related to lowering the voting age — along with other civil rights provided to citizens over 20 — as well as abolishing the Examination Yuan and the Control Yuan, so that party caucuses can discuss the issues at the legislature’s Constitutional Amendment Committee, Tsai said.
Tsai also called on opposition parties, saying that all parties should cherish the “constitutional moment.”
Second, the DPP should dedicate more resources to cultivating young talent for the nation, she said.
Third, the party should continue to deepen democracy in Taiwan and defend its democratic values amid global uncertainties, Tsai said, citing the situation in Hong Kong, where freedom and human rights have become seriously undermined after China imposed national security legislation on the territory.
As a party that survived totalitarian oppression, the DPP would share Taiwan’s experience in establishing democratic institutions with the international community, and support Hong Kongers fighting for democracy, Tsai said.
Fourth, the DPP should “recover its glory in Kaohsiung” by winning the city’s mayoral by-election, which is set for Aug. 15, she said.
Tsai also said that Taiwan’s economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic has had a good start, as crowds were seen in various locations nationwide on the first weekend following the release of the government’s Triple Stimulus Vouchers, which she said was a sign of increased business opportunities.
However, the DPP cannot be complacent about its policy results, otherwise public support could slip away, Tsai said, telling party members that “integrity, diligence and love for the country” remain the party’s chief commitments.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spokeswoman Hung Yu-chien (洪于茜) said that constitutional reform should be carried out with cross-party consensus, but the Tsai administration does nothing but “exercise crushing tyranny of the majority.”
The attitude shows no respect for opposition parties and creates “extremely unequal power between the ruling and opposition parties” at the legislature, Hung added.
The KMT believes the DPP is bringing up abolishing the Examination Yuan and the Control Yuan to shift focus away from its incompetence at governing the nation and its tyrannical leadership, she said.
The KMT would establish a constitutional amendment committee comprising party members and academics to discuss issues, including the Examination Yuan and the Control Yuan, she said.
The KMT would not finalize its stance on the matter before that, she added.
New Power Party caucus whip Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) said his party would support constitutional reform, as it would address issues that have long been unresolved.
Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Jang Chyi-lu (張其祿) agreed, saying that abolishing the two branches of government and lowering the voting age to 18 are also the party’s long-time appeals.
Additional reporting by Lin Liang-sheng and Hsieh Chun-lin
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique