Politics

Tsai mum on speculation over Lin

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 04, 2016
By: Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter

President-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday neither confirmed

President-elect Tsai Ing-wen, center, and Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan, left, yesterday pose with the mascot of this year’s Lantern Festival, which will take place in Taoyuan, before attending a Democratic Progressive Party Central Standing Committee meeting at the party’s headquarters in Taipei. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times

nor denied speculation that former minister of finance Lin Chuan (林全) might be appointed premier after she assumes office in May.

The speculation again caught media attention after Tsai appointed Lin, along with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and former DPP secretary-general Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀), a co-convener of her transition team to handle the transfer of power from the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

Tsai also said on Tuesday that Lin Chuan might not continue to serve as executive director of the New Frontier Foundation.

“I was just saying that if he [Lin Chuan] does not continue to serve [on the foundation], there are many other possibilities,” Tsai said yesterday, when asked whether he would become a Cabinet member. [FULL STORY]

KMT attributes its election flop to infighting, candidacy change

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-02-03
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Kuomintang outlined a post-election report Wednesday attributing its devastating defeat in the January 16 general elections to political infighting, the military housing scandal, and the change of presidential candidacy.

Due to the absence of its Acting Chairperson Huang Min-hui, the KMT’s Central Standing Committee (CSC) voted committee member Liu Da-bei as its temporary chairman of the day, to mediate a review meeting on post-election results.

The party admitted its failure, saying the outcome “fell short of our party’s expectations and goals.”

Liu said the fact that the KMT won only 46 of the legislative seats (including at-large seats) could be described as a “major setback.”

“We have let supporters down because of our failure to act in unity, marked by internal conflicts and discrepant political policies,” he said, adding that the major element to its landslide defeat was due to the party’s sudden candidacy change, a move deemed by voters as totally “undemocratic.” [FULL STORY]

Su eyes reform measures for ROC Legislative Yuan

Taiwan Today
Date: February 3, 2016

A series of reforms boosting public participation and transparency

ROC Legislative Yuan President Su Jia-chyuan (center) hosts Premier Chang San-cheng (third left) during a visit to the nation’s top lawmaking body Feb. 3 in Taipei City. (CNA)

in the ROC Legislature is under consideration, according to Legislative Yuan President Su Jia-chyuan Feb. 2.

One priority is establishing an online petition for the public to propose new bills, Su said, adding that he aims to float the proposal during the first sitting of the Legislature Feb. 19.

According to Su, the plan forms an essential part of Legislative Yuan reforms aimed at promoting openness and inclusiveness. “We are also opening up to the media interparty consultations, with possible public broadcasting in the pipeline.” [FULL STORY]

Young NPP rookies sworn in for the first time in Legislative history

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-02-01
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The five elected New Power Party legislators were sworn in for the first time in Taiwan’s history, making them the third largest party at the Legislative Yuan after the Democratic Progressive Party which won 68 seats, and the Kuomintang with 35.

Led by NPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang, the newly-elected lawmakers including Hung Tzu-yung, Freddy Lim, Kawlo Lyun Pacidal, and Hsu Yung-ming walked the red carpet to take their oath of office before Grand Justice Huang Mao-jung, who presided over the inaugural ceremony Monday morning.

“The experience is as surreal as it gets,” Huang said, explaining that the last time he had to break into the legislative building alongside groups of protestors, an event which was later known as the “Sunflower Movement.” [FULL STORY]

Legislator urges scrutiny of NCC members

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 02, 2016

Liberty Times (LT): How do you view the blitzkrieg approval [by the

New Power Party Legislator Huang Kuo-chang gestures during an interview in Taipei on Thursday last week. Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times

National Communications Commission (NCC)] of FET’s acquiring of CNS [through bond purchases of Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia’s subsidiary North Haven Private Equity Asia IV LP, which in turn bought a 60 percent stake in CNS from South Korean private equity firm MBK Partners LP]?

Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌): In short, the public was blindsided by the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) and the NCC. They rammed the deal through when the legislature was out of session and in the middle of a busy campaign season [for the Jan. 16 elections], when everyone was distracted.

The NCC held its public hearing 10 days ago on the pretext that the FTC had already approved the case, and the hearing itself was a staged performance, with no NCC members attending, and criticism of the deal ignored. Two days later, the deal was put on the NCC’s agenda, followed by its quick approval. [FULL STORY]

Cabinet not to be passive caretaker, President Ma says

PROACTIVE:At a swearing-in ceremony for Premier Simon Chang, Ma cited three examples of how his administration has not ‘slacked off’ since elections

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 02, 2016
By: Staff writer, with CNA

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said that the new Cabinet

Vice President Wu Den-yih, center, presides over a ceremony at the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday as outgoing premier Mao Chi-kuo, left, hands over the seals of office to incoming Premier Simon Chang. Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times

would proactively carry out its duties in the remaining four months of his term and would not “merely be a passive caretaker.”

Cabinet members would also provide assistance to their successors to ensure a smooth transition of power, Ma said at a swearing-in ceremony for Premier Simon Chang (張善政) and his Cabinet members.

Ma cited three examples of proactive governance during the transition period.
First, the National Financial Stabilization Fund has been supporting share prices in the volatile stock market since the Jan. 16 presidential and legislative elections, Ma said.

“We did not slack off just because the Cabinet resigned,” he said. [FULL STORY]

DPP’s Su Jia-chyuan elected legislative speaker (update)

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/02/01
By: Wen Kuei-hsiang, Sophia Yeh, Jay Chen and Kay Liu

Taipei, Feb. 1 (CNA) Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) of the Democratic

New Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (center).

Progressive Party (DPP) was elected Monday as speaker of the Legislative Yuan on its opening day, garnering 74 votes from the 113 lawmakers.

With his election, Su has become the first DPP member to preside over Taiwan’s lawmaking body, where his party has 68 seats and the support of the only independent lawmaker, Chao Cheng-yu (趙正宇).

Su thanked the caucuses of his party and the New Power Party (NPP) for their backing in the speaker election.

The NPP, which was only established a year ago, controls five seats and is the third-largest party in the newly sworn-in Legislature. [FULL STORY]

Taiwan’s 1st DPP-controlled Legislature sworn in

Taiwan Today
Date: February 1, 2016

The ROC Legislative Yuan commenced its ninth term Feb. 1 in Taipei

All 113 members of the ninth ROC Legislative Yuan assemble for a group photo Feb. 1 in Taipei City. (CNA)

City, with the Democratic Progressive Party enjoying a majority in the lawmaking body for the first time in the nation’s history.

Opening day saw Su Jia-chyuan, legislator at large and former minister of the interior, elected president of the Legislative Yuan. He is the first DPP lawmaker to hold the post, bringing the curtain down on Wang Jin-pyng of the Kuomintang’s record 17 years in the job. Su’s running mate Tsai Chi-chang was elected vice president.

The DPP took 68 out of 113 seats on offer in the Jan. 16 Legislative elections, relegating the KMT to main opposition party status with 35.

After his election, Su said he would immediately resign from the DPP’s Central Standing Committee and cease all party-related activities. This is in accordance with ROC President-elect Tsai Ing-wen’s pledge to engineer legislative reform and avoid possible conflict of interest in the speaker’s role. [FULL STORY]

New lawmakers walk red carpet for new session

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 02, 2016
By: Su Fang-ho, Chuang Meng-hsuan and Lin Liang-sheng / Staff reporters

The first session of the ninth legislature convened yesterday, with 113

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ying, left, wearing traditional Aboriginal clothes, walks along a red carpet at the entrance to the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times

newly elected and re-elected lawmakers reporting for duty at the Legislative Yuan.

Many legislators waited at the Legislative Yuan’s front door before it opened at 8am to be the first to report for work, including Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) and Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀).

First to arrive was DPP Legislator Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬), who entered the Legislative Yuan via a side door without walking the red carpet lined with police officers and reporters.

Cheng said he had not intended to be the first legislator to report for duty. [FULL STORY]

DPP threatens to boycott disputed bills

NO POPULAR MANDATE :The negotiations over the trade in goods agreement with China should wait until the newly elected government takes office, a lawmaker said

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 01, 2016
By: Chang Hsiao-ti / Staff reporter

As the Executive Yuan plans to continue pushing controversial policies before president-elect Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) inauguration on May 20, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers said that the DPP caucus would stage a boycott if the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) caretaker government attempts to force the policies through.

Following the KMT’s defeat in the presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 16, the Cabinet on Wednesday published a list of policies it said it would continue to push before Tsai takes office.

The policies include easing regulations to allow white-collar foreign workers in the nation, joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), allowing Chinese capital into the IC design industry, allowing Chinese visitors to buy securities in Taiwan, extending National Health Insurance coverage to Chinese students, mutually setting up representative offices across the Taiwan Strait with Beijing and shortening the waiting period for Chinese immigrant spouses’ naturalization.
The list also includes policy proposals that have been halted by the legislature, as well as amendments to existing laws. [FULL STORY]

Page 13 of 57

« 1 … 11 12 13 14 15 … 57 »