Citizen Congress Watch yesterday called on all 335 legislative candidates to back reform proposals and pledge to refuse to abuse government funds to benefit assistants or their office.
All parties attended an event hosted by the legislative watchdog except the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
The group said it would announce who signed the pledges by the middle of next month.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Citizen Congress Watch chairman Tseng Chien-yuan (曾建元) told a news conference that there has been a spike in legislators failing to recuse themselves from conflicts of interests.
Group executive director Leo Chang (張宏林) said that incidents involving conflicts of interest have greatly affected the public’s confidence in the legislature, adding that Citizen Congress Watch hopes candidates would sign the pledge and uphold it if elected.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Fan Yun (范雲), seeking to secure another term as a legislator-at-large, said the legislature always has room for improvement, even though Citizen Congress Watch considers DPP lawmakers to have excellent performance records, while the Legislative Yuan has earned international approval for transparency.
New Power Party (NPP) legislator-at-large candidate Wang Pao-hsuan (王寶萱) said that NPP legislators have all been considered “excellent” by the group and would continue to promote a more transparent legislature.
The party would continue to watch for issues that could pose conflicts of interest for its legislators, Wang added.
Taiwan Statebuilding Party legislator-at-large candidate Shih Wei-chu (史惟筑) said her party was glad to see Citizen Congress Watch’s proposed list of pledges, but added that more emphasis should be given to addressing Chinese infiltration efforts.
The party proposed two additional pledges: that candidates with significant investments in China be considered ineligible to run and that candidates be screened for national security reasons, Shih said.
Her comments referred to the KMT and the DPP nominating Chinese immigrants for their legislator-at-large lists.
Former People First Party legislator Chen Yi-chieh (陳怡潔) said the party had worked on legislative reform efforts before, and if it wins enough seats to form a caucus, it would work closely with Citizen Congress Watch.
While the People First Party agreed with most of the political watchdog’s pledges, legislators are elected representatives of the public, Chen said, adding that the group’s call for regulating the “commitment” of legislators should be further discussed.
Citizen Congress Watch called for legislative candidates to promise to not abuse their office, sign a nondisclosure agreement to not reveal national security secrets discussed during hearings, and draft laws that would ensure their full-time commitment as legislators — preventing them from holding positions at for-profit businesses during their time in office — and to be transparent about their positions.
It also called on candidates to be disciplined, uphold legislative transparency, publicize reports on foreign inspections, observe due process in the confirmations of officials, be timely on national spending reviews, and draft legislation granting the legislature powers of investigation and to hold hearings.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could
RSS