TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE:DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang said Jiang’s efforts to rally support for himself would not be enough to secure his redemption
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
With less than 48 hours before it is put to a vote, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday tried to generate public support for the opposition’s no-confidence motion against the Cabinet, saying that Premier Jiang Yi-huah’s (江宜樺) removal would be a huge blow to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
While Jiang has reportedly been busy calling Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers to garner support since the DPP and the Taiwan Solidarity Union initiated the proposal on Friday, Su said Jiang’s efforts “came too late because the premier has not only failed in numerous policy areas, but also took part in the political conspiracy plotted by Ma [against Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平)].”
The proposal is to be put to a vote at about 11am tomorrow.
The motion will pass if KMT lawmakers choose to reflect public opinion with their ballots, Su said, citing recent public opinion polls showing that the majority of respondents see Jiang as incompetent.
Su rebutted the KMT’s claim that the legislature had been brought to a standstill because of the DPP’s boycott of Jiang’s mandatory report, saying that everything was going smoothly in the Legislative Yuan.
The DPP chairman also disagreed with the observation that the no-confidence proposal would end up benefiting the Ma administration. He reiterated that the motion was the right thing to do regardless of whether it succeeds.
Despite this, the DPP has called on the public to ask lawmakers in their constituencies to vote for the proposal and to attend a rally that is to be held outside of the Legislative Yuan tomorrow morning to make their voices heard.
Speaking at an event promoting awareness of the anti-nuclear movement at a local market yesterday morning, Su said that those who support the suspension of construction at the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao District (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), should also support the no-confidence motion because Jiang is for completing the plant and tried to force through a referendum on the issue.
The motion passes if at least half of the 112 total lawmakers vote for it, which means the opposition needs to collect 57 votes.
Since it has just 40 seats, the DPP has secured endorsement from the TSU, which has three seats, and the People First Party, which has two lawmakers, for a total of 45 votes in favor of the bid.
With two independent lawmakers’ positions uncertain, the motion needs to be backed by about a dozen KMT lawmakers if it is to pass.