Taipei Times
Date: Sep 01, 2017
By: Tseng Wei-chen and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday called on the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to display bipartisanship after they voted to authorize funding for the first phase of the Forward-Looking Infrastructure Development Program.

The deadlock over the infrastructure plan was the most prolonged and intense legislative confrontation in Taiwanese history, DPP caucus convener Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said.

Passage of the budget required calling three special sessions over two-and-a-half months, Ker said, adding that he hoped the parties would reconsider how the legislature should operate and would work together in the nation’s interest.

Although the DPP tried to communicate with the KMT at every opportunity, it could not allow it to paralyze the legislature and had no option but to push the budget through by casting a historic 2,471 votes in one week, Ker said.    [FULL  STORY]