Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘) yesterday retracted a proposal to remove “unification of the nation” from the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), citing concern over the proposal throwing cross-strait ties off balance ahead of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) re-inauguration on Wednesday next week.
He also withdrew a similar proposal to amend the preface to the Additional Articles of the Constitution by taking out “to meet the needs before the unification of the nation.”
The proposed amendment to the act had advanced to committee review, while the proposals to amend the additional articles of the Constitution could have passed a first reading yesterday, Tsai Yi-yu said.
Photo: Huang Hsin-po, Taipei Times
Given that the world has likely seen through the nature of the Chinese Communist Party amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he thought it was the right time to help the nation break free from the framework of unification imposed by the additional articles of the Constitution, promulgated in 1991, he said.
However, with Tsai Ing-wen’s inauguration approaching, he did not want the proposals to be a source of contention for China and opposition parties, which would give Beijing a pretext for saber rattling and undermining peace, he said.
Following discussions with DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), Tsai Yi-yu, despite acknowledging a recent swell of anti-China sentiment, said he decided not to run the risk.
He is aware that retracting the proposals would invite ridicule, but he had to do so for the nation’s future, he said, adding that he believes that the president would lead the nation along the right path.
Tamkang University Graduate Institute of China Studies associate professor Chang Wu-ueh (張五岳) said that Tsai Yi-yu likely had to retract the proposals because Tsai Ing-wen said in her inauguration speech four years ago that she would abide by the act, the Constitution and other applicable laws when handling cross-strait relations, which are fragile due to a lack of mutual trust between Taipei and Beijing.
Although the act is on a lower level than the Constitution, it defines the fundamentals of cross-strait relations, so Tsai Yi-yu’s proposal to change the act — which would change those fundamentals — would likely trigger China, Chang said.
The retraction of the bills is a gesture of basic goodwill, which shows the nation’s stance on cross-strait ties has remained consistent and that it would not resort to “double-dealing” over the issue, he said.
Separately yesterday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) called on the DPP to stop exploiting cross-strait issues.
The DPP had submitted a slew of similar proposals in the past, which all petered out as DPP lawmakers were not serious about pushing them forward, Chiang said.
The DPP should give a clear explanation about why it has retracted the proposals, he said.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiao-kuang
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
RSS