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KMT defeats
no-confidence motion
PARTY LINE: The KMT used its legislative
majority to easily beat the motion against the premier, who happily visited the
legislature later to thank his supporters
By Chris Wang and Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff reporters
Premier Jiang Yi-huah, second
left, thanks Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Shu-hui, second
right, and other KMT legislators at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday
after they voted down a no-confidence motion brought against him by two
opposition parties.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) and the
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) breathed a sigh of relief yesterday after the
no-confidence motion against Jiang failed, while the Democratic Progressive
Party (DPP) tried to regroup in its fight against President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九)
administration.
The proposal, jointly tabled by the DPP and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU),
was rejected by a margin of 67 to 45, with all 112 legislators voting along
party lines. All 65 KMT lawmakers and two other lawmakers voted against the
motion, while the votes in favor came from the DPP’s 40 lawmakers, the TSU’s
three and two from the People First Party.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), whose KMT membership was revoked after
Ma and the KMT accused him of improper lobbying, voted against the proposal.
KMT Policy Committee executive director Lin Hung-chih (林鴻池) said the failure of
the motion “signified the reaffirmation of the premier.”
He also urged the DPP to acknowledge “a new beginning” by allowing Jiang deliver
his policy report to the legislature on Friday.
The DPP caucus said it was extremely disappointed with its KMT colleagues for
siding with the Ma administration and ignoring public opinion that Jiang should
step down for his poor performance and violating the Constitution.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said the caucus would boycott all
interparty negotiations indefinitely because KMT lawmakers had betrayed the
public.
Prior to the 9:30am to 11am vote, which used the disclosed ballot method, the
DPP and the KMT both held caucus meetings.
With the KMT saying that anyone who voted for the motion would face party
discipline, there was little suspense over the outcome.
Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Legislator May Chin (高金素梅) and independent
Legislator Chen Shuen-sheng (陳雪生) decided to side with the KMT, leaving the
opposition alliance with no gains from its lobbying.
The result was similar to the no-confidence motion that the DPP proposed in
September last year against then-premier Sean Chen, who survived by a vote of 66
to 46, but was replaced by Jiang in February.
As soon as the results were announced, Jiang went to the Legislative Yuan to
thank Wang and the KMT lawmakers. He met with Wang privately for eight minutes
before he was greeted by KMT lawmakers outside of the legislature’s assembly
hall with hugs, cheers and applause.
A smiling Jiang said he felt “a much stronger sense of duty” to carry out
policies that benefit the public. He said he was “very happy” with the result
and vowed to focus on policies to boost the economy in return for the support he
received.
“Since the no-confidence motion was voted down, our team has a much stronger
sense of duty because we know that people expect us to do more and better. We
will do our best under the legislature’s oversight to live up to the public’s
expectations,” he said.
Jiang said he thanked Wang for voting against the motion and for his efforts at
managing legislative proceedings.
Jiang’s role in what has been described as a political vendetta waged by Ma
against Wang in a bid to strip the latter of his KMT membership and speakership
had left the relationship between Jiang and the legislature strained since the
session began on Sept. 17.
The opposition parties have blocked Jiang from taking the podium at six floor
meetings to deliver his policy address to convene a new regular session of the
legislature, which would have been followed by a question-and-answer session
between the premier and lawmakers.
Added to that impasse was that Jiang did not speak to Wang until Oct. 4, after
Wang was accused by the Special Investigation Division (SID) of the Supreme
Prosecutors’ Office of involvement in an undue influence case.
A number of KMT lawmakers were also unhappy with Jiang’s comments about Wang and
the legislature, and the way the SID pursued Wang’s case.
In a meeting of the legislature’s Procedure Committee after the morning vote,
Jiang’s report to the legislature was listed on the agenda for Friday’s plenary
session.
The Executive Yuan later issued a statement in which Jiang expressed hope that
he would be allowed to deliver his policy address and that the legislature would
begin to review the budget for next year, as well as bills of great concern to
the nation’s development.
Jiang said his team would formulate policies to address the economy, the needs
of disadvantaged people, the cultivation of talent and cultural development.
The Executive Yuan will be more humble and receptive to ideas from all sectors
of the community to win the people’s trust, he said.
Meanwhile, the KMT said the failed motion was a vote of confidence for the
government, and it urged the DPP to refrain from boycotting legislative
procedures and creating political instability.
KMT Culture and Communication Committee director Fan Chiang Tai-chi (范姜泰基)
accused the DPP of abusing its constitutional rights to file no-confidence
motions against the Cabinet, and said the DPP should focus its efforts on
responding to public expectations of a stable and prosperous society.
“The DPP is a repeat offender for using its right to launch a no-confidence
motion as a political tool… Now that its motion has failed again, we urge the
DPP to put the interests of the public into consideration and stop abusing its
constitutional rights,” he said.
Fan Chiang accused DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) of covering up for Ker amid
allegations that he asked Wang to lobby prosecutors considering whether to
appeal his acquittal in a breach of trust case, and allowing DPP lawmakers to
paralyze the legislature.
“The DPP should think about whether its moves meet public expectations at a time
when people in Taiwan long for political stability,” he said.
According to the Additional Articles of the Constitution, there cannot be
another no-confidence motion initiated against the same Cabinet within one year
of a failed proposal.
Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
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