Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-07-02

Ruling and opposition party lawmakers are gearing up for an all-out battle at the legislature on Monday over a massive infrastructure plan.

If passed, the “forward-looking infrastructure project” would invest NT$890 billion (nearly US$30 billion) over eight years in five different areas. Those areas include: green energy, water management, the rail network, digital development, and urban and rural development. Cross-party negotiations are scheduled for Monday morning, in a special legislative session.

The main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) opposes the plan as it stands. In an interview on Sunday, KMT lawmaker Lin Wei-chou said that the party wants to see the duration of the plan cut from eight years down to four years. He also said that the budget for railway projects must also be decreased. Lin said that if the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is unwilling to compromise, then the KMT will do whatever it can to prevent the draft bill from passing.

Meanwhile, DPP lawmaker Yeh Yi-jin called on the KMT to negotiate first. She said that there was room for discussion about a variety of issues, including whether the project could deal with KMT-proposed issues like food safety and the nation’s declining birthrate. The DPP, which has a majority in the legislature, has said that it is aiming to pass the bill on Wednesday.    [FULL  STORY]