A dispute between government branches continued today over a Chinese-born lawmaker who allegedly failed to renounce her Chinese citizenship before being sworn in as a legislator for the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP).
Newly-sworn in TPP Legislator Li Zhenxiu (李貞秀) appeared before the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee for the first time today, where she asked questions before an empty podium after the committee’s convenor, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Po-yi (李柏毅), said that government officials did not have to respond to her questioning.
The committee respects Li’s right to speak, but also the Cabinet’s position that officials do not need to respond, he said.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The committee would act in accordance with the legal consultation announced by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) last week.
On Wednesday, Han said he would back Li’s right to assume her seat until the courts reach a final verdict.
Li is a Chinese-born spouse of a Taiwanese who allegedly failed to fulfil several qualifying conditions to take office, including renouncing her Chinese citizenship.
She obtained Taiwanese residency in 1999, but did not submit any proof of having relinquished her household registration in China until March last year, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said.
People from the Chinese area must continuously have a registered household in Taiwan for 10 years before being eligible to serve as a legislator, he said.
Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) refused to take the stand today, resulting in Li directing questions at an empty podium.
“I am a legislator of the Republic of China,” Li said, and repeatedly asked Liu to step up to the podium.
The Ministry of the Interior “does not care about people’s livelihoods and only wants to continue political infighting,” she said.
Moreover, she said that the ruling DPP “does not care about justice,” and asked the convenor to make a fair ruling and respect a legislator in office.
“Taiwan is a country ruled by law and the Constitution,” she said, asking Liu to respect the Constitution.
DPP lawmaker Wang Mei-hui (王美惠) replied that the Constitution does not allow for dual nationality, implying she is therefore not constitutionally allowed to hold office.
Lee Po-yi added that the Ministry of the Interior would respond during the break to “questions raised by members of the public,” referring to Li.
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
MULTIPRONGED APPROACH: China has sought to pressure Palau across a number of fronts, but the island nation has staunchly resisted overtures to ditch Taiwan Palau has been firm in backing Taiwan despite Chinese pressure that uses tourism economics, cyberattacks and criminal infiltration as tools to threaten the Pacific ally into renouncing its recognition of Taiwan as a sovereign state. The Presidential Office yesterday announced that Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) would visit Palau from Saturday to Wednesday next week at the invitation of Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr. Whipps in April said in an interview that China had outspokenly asked Palau to “denounce Taiwan.” “And we have said: ‘We have no enemies, but nobody tells us who our friends are,’” he said. Whipps has told reporters multiple times
RSS