Tuesday, September 24, 2013

DPP continue boycott of Jiang report, demand apology

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus said that Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) could not make his report to the Legislative Yuan today until he has issued a formal apology for infringing on the Constitution and making comments that showed contempt for the legislature.

The DPP caucus, which boycotted Jiang’s report on the opening day of the current legislative session on Sept. 17, reached a consensus yesterday after a caucus meeting that it would maintain the boycott if Jiang failed to apologize today, DPP Legislator Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) said.

“No apology, no report. Our position on the issue could not have been more clear,” Wu told reporters.

The premier’s comments that Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) was incompetent because of his involvement in an alleged improper lobbying case and Jiang’s endorsement of a similar accusation by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) against Wang at a press conference had infringed on the constitutional mechanism, the DPP caucus said.

The DPP agreed to drop four other preconditions for hearing Jiang’s report, but insisted that the premier apologize, saying the dignity of the legislature must be upheld.

Wang, who chaired a failed inter-party negotiation on Sept. 17, yesterday said that he would make one more effort to convince the opposition parties to withdraw their boycott in the negotiation this morning.

The DPP caucus said it would demand that the Special Investigation Division (SID) be abolished and related laws be amended, and that Jiang and Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming’s (黃世銘) report to the legislature on the handling of the Wang-Ker case, which many described as unconstitutional and illegal.

Meanwhile, the KMT and the DPP had eight spots apiece in the elections for conveners of eight legislative committees yesterday.

With two conveners for each committee, the 16 newly selected conveners also formed the Discipline Committee for the current session.

The Discipline Committee will be tasked with the case involving DPP caucus convener Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), who was accused of asking Wang and high-ranking judicial officials to use their influence to sway a legal case.

Ker on Sept. 18 proclaimed his innocence and demanded that the Discipline Committee review his alleged role.

The senior lawmaker would be subject to a suspension of up to six months if the committee ruled against him.