By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The decision to revoke legislator Lin Shih-chia’s (林世嘉) Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) membership was a tough one for the party, but discipline had to be upheld, TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) said yesterday.
The party’s Central Executive Committee reached a consensus on Monday afternoon to expel Lin, which meant she lost her position as an at-large lawmaker.
Lin, one of the three TSU lawmakers, attended the committee meeting, but left early without knowing that the committee would revoke her membership afterward.
In a press release issued on Monday evening, the TSU said that as caucus whip, Lin had repeatedly acted on her own without regard for the party’s position and had manipulated media coverage, adding that her controversial style had been criticized by supporters and businesspeople.
The catalyst for her expulsion appeared to be her “unilateral endorsement” of a negotiation over a controversial amendment to the Accounting Act (會計法) that sought to exempt local councilors, lawmakers and academics from prosecution over the misuse of public funds, without consulting the TSU.
The legislature’s passage of the amendment, which has since been revoked, sparked widespread public outrage. Lin resigned as caucus whip on June 4.
Huang said he had talked to Lin on Monday morning about her “political approach and attitude,” but did not a receive an appropriate response from her.
Lin’s office said on Monday that she had learned of her ousting “five minutes before the media knew about it.”
Lin yesterday said she had worked hard every day in the legislature for the voters who supported the party and all Taiwanese, but did not comment further on her expulsion.
The expulsion was a painful decision, but one that had to be made, because legislators-at-large are obligated to endorse their party’s position and policies, TSU Secretary-General Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) said.