Wed, Apr 05, 2006 page3

• Weapons budget shot down for 50th time

  • By Shih Hsiu-chuan / STAFF REPORTER
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  The meeting between President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Monday failed to resolve the dispute over the arms procurement bill, which was yesterday rejected for the 50th time since the beginning of the legislative term in February last year.

  The bill was blocked from being put on the legislative agenda for deliberation because of objections from the KMT and People First Party (PFP), which between them dominate the legislature's Procedure Committee.

  Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Chi-fang (蔡啟芳), a co-chair of the committee, said that Ma had not meant what he said when he told the president that the KMT supported a "reasonable" arms procurement budget.

  

  Lawmakers on the legislature's Procedure Committee, which is dominated by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party members, yesterday veto the arms procurement proposal from being listed on the legislative agenda for the 50th time.

  PHOTO: SUNG CHIH-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES

  Ma shouldn't allow the KMT to continue blocking the bill in the legislature, Tsai said.

  "Would you please advise Ma in the KMT's Central Standing Committee that he should not make empty promises," Tsai told the KMT legislators.

  Pan-blue legislators yesterday also rejected a bill to review the president's nominations for the Control Yuan, which has been blocked since Feb. 1 last year.

  

  Minister of National Defense Lee Jye reacts yesterday to the Procedure Committee's vote against putting the arms proposal to the full legislature.

  PHOTO: LIAO CHEN-HUEI, TAIPEI TIMES

  After a meeting between Ma and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) last December, the two pan-blue leaders said that Control Yuan members should be nominated in the same way as the candidates for the National Communication Commission.

  Commission candidates are named by political parties in proportion to their number of seats in the Legislative Yuan.

  While the pan-blue camp yesterday also shot down other bills that had been initiated by the pan-green camp, the Procedure Committee did pass the bill to amend the March 19 Shooting Truth Investigation Special Committee Statute (三一九槍擊事件真相調查特別委員會條例) with the aim of reestablishing the committee.

  The amendment was approved for its second and third reading in the legislature next Tuesday.

  Although bills are usually only tabled in the legislature when there is consensus among all legislative caucuses, the amendment was sent to the legislature despite failing to gain the support of the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU).

  TSU Legislator Ho Min-hao (何敏豪) complained that moving the bill to the legislative floor was highly irregular.

  KMT caucus whip Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) said that Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) would convene a cross-party negotiation session tomorrow for discussion on the bill.

  In other developments, a pan-blue proposal to repeal the government's reform plans for the preferential 18 percent interest-rate scheme for retired teachers and civil servants was also passed for discussion next Tuesday.
• Most Popular

  • 1

    Two dead as fans, police clash before game in Chile

  • 2

    Taiwan and the US preparing a ‘hellscape’ strategy

  • 3

    Two questioned over DPP legislator recall forgery

  • 4

    Former DPP aide detained in spy probe

  • 5

    Nazi armband protest in recall petition case draws criticism