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Wang urged to join
abolitionists
ABOVE BOARD: While the DPP and TSU backed calls
for the watchdog to be abolished, Control Yuan members denied having been
treated to dinners by Keelung’s mayor
By Lee Hsin-fang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff
writer
Members of a civic group
advocating the abolishment of the Control Yuan stand outside its offices in
Taipei yesterday while calling on Control Yuan President Wang Chien-shien to
come out and become the head of their group.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
Control Yuan member Frank Wu
answers questions from the media yesterday.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Members of the Civil Promotion for Control
Yuan Abolition Alliance staged a protest in front of the Control Yuan in Taipei
yesterday, calling on Control Yuan President Wang Chien-shien to resign and
become the alliance’s convener.
Followng the Control Yuan’s failure to impeach Keelung Mayor Chang Tong-rong
(張通榮), who has been convicted of influence peddling and interfering with police
matters when he demanded that a drunk driver be released without charge, Wang on
Wednesday said the government watchdog would be better off being abolished if it
could not mete out justice, adding that Control Yuan positions were often used
as bargaining chips for political favors or rewards.
His remarks sparked a furor both inside and outside the government body.
After their request to meet with Wang was denied, members of the alliance read
out four demands on the doorsteps of the Control Yuan.
The association expressed its wish that Wang become its convener, called for the
Legislative Yuan to slash the Control Yuan’s budget, demanded that President Ma
Ying-jeou (馬英九) not nominate the next batch of Control Yuan members and asked
for support from lawmakers across party lines to amend the Constitution to
abolish the Control Yuan.
Separately yesterday, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien
(林俊憲) said his party supports an amendment to the Constitution to abolish the
Control Yuan, adding that before such an amendment is made, the Control Yuan
should be suspended and that its budget be frozen.
Lin said the party hopes Wang would exercise his influence to help abolish the
government body.
Saying his party has been pushing for an amendment to the Constitution to allow
the powers of the Control Yuan to be transferred to the legislature, Taiwan
Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus whip Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) said his party also
supports the suspension of the Control Yuan and the freezing of its budget.
Amid calls that he should step down, Wang yesterday insisted he has done nothing
wrong.
“I have not even entertained the thought of stepping down,” he said, adding: “If
I was a Control Yuan member who had accepted Chang’s offer to pay for dinner
three times, then I should step down. We should be reasonable [in our demands].”
He was referring to media reports yesterday that quoted People First Party (PFP)
Deputy Secretary-General Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) as saying that Control Yuan
members had visited Keelung three times and had been treated to dinners at the
Evergreen Laurel Hotel Keelung by Chang.
Control Yuan member Huang Huang-hsiung (黃煌雄), one of the Control Yuan members
who had visited Keelung, said yesterday that he had never accepted any of
Chang’s dinner invitations.
Huang added that if anyone named him specifically, then they could expect to be
sued.
Control Yuan member Yu Teng-fang (余騰芳), who had also visited Keelung in the past
year, said that of his three visits, aside from the first time where he formally
visited Chang and sat in on a city governance briefing, the other times Chang
had only dropped by to offer a greeting out of courtesy.
He had not met with Chang at any other time, Yu added.
Yu said that he followed protocol and dined with government officials over
lunchboxes, adding that he and the city government shared the bill.
Chang, who is still abroad in China on business, spoke yesterday via Keelung
City Government spokesman Lee Liang (李梁), and denied having treated Control Yuan
members to dinners.
Liu said yesterday that his sources were Keelung residents, adding that his
source was not certain which Control Yuan members were involved and that the
agency should make an official statement explaining the actions of its
officials.
Additional reporting by Rich Chang, Chen Yen-ting and CNA
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