Impeachment Process Begins For Taiwan's President |
| Posted by: gaboman | |
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President Chen to go on trial in Legislative Yuan
2006/6/14
By H.T. Young The China Post
The Legislative Yuan decided yesterday to try President Chen Shui-bian in the nation's first ever attempt to recall the head of state.
Wang Jin-pyng, president of the Legislative Yuan, announced the outcome of a vote in favor of deliberation on a recall motion in the morning.
In a 113-96 vote, the opposition alliance of the Kuomintang and the People First Party passed the motion to deliberate on the recall at four plenary meetings on June 21, 22, 23 and 26.
On June 27, the recall motion will be put to a final vote on the floor of the nation's highest legislative organ. The motion, however, is unlikely to be adopted.
The procedure is quite similar to an impeachment trial by the Senate in the United States. President Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives and tried by the Senate in 1999. The impeachment was voted down.
Though the opposition has a majority of one in the Legislative Yuan, it cannot muster two thirds of the 221 lawmakers necessary to adopt the recall motion, which, then, will have to be passed by a referendum in which half of the eligible voters must take part and more than half of them have to say yes.
The morning vote was taken after an earlier recall motion by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to shorten the time of the president's trial had been defeated by 113 against and 96 for, without abstention.
Resigned to the opposition's offensive, the ruling party and its tiny ally, the Taiwan Solidarity Union, moved to deliberate on the recall motion just for one day on June 22 and take a vote on June 23.
The vote will be by open ballot.
Prior to the opening of the extraordinary session, Wang called an interparty meeting of consultation on the recall motion.
No agreement was reached, and Wang opened the session at 9:38 a.m. to determine how the recall motion would be treated in the next 18 days.
Unlike in the past, the morning meeting proceeded peacefully, though legislators traded charges and displayed streamers for and against the recall.
Opposition lawmakers chanted "Down with Ah-Bian," while their DPP counterparts shouted, "Then, come the (Chinese) Communist (to Taiwan)."
Slogans for the recall urged "probity" and "anti-corruption." DPP streamers called for action on the NT$160 billion flood control bill rather than on the recall.
As the case now stands, President Chen is expected to produce a written deposition in his defense within seven days before the Legislature will act on the recall motion.
He may do so before the legislature in person.
No decision has been made by President Chen as to whether he would submit the deposition or go to the Legislative Yuan.
DPP lawmakers hope the president would defend himself through the deposition, which they believe would showcase the absurdity of the recall motion.
In a statement, the Office of the President said after the morning meeting that Chen "has yet to decide on whether to submit the deposition."
"The decision will be duly announced in public when it is taken," the statement said.
While the president may or may not defend himself through the deposition or by appearing before the lawmakers, the opposition controlled Legislature will hold at least four public hearings before its first plenary meeting to act on the proposal to recall him.
The schedule for public hearings has yet to be fixed, but at least Vice President Annette Lu would be asked to testify in one of them.
One of the ten counts the opposition charged the president with in demanding his recall is what is known as Bulletgate. Two bullets were fired at President Chen and Vice President Lee on March 19, 2004. Both were wounded, and Chen was re-elected thanks to the sympathy votes cast for him on the following day.
The opposition suspected a conspiracy, but police investigations concluded the shooting was an assassination attempt by an unemployed sports coach, who had personal grudges against the president and committed suicide out of remorse.
Another count is corruption. The opposition hopes to subpoena first lady Wu Shu-chen to testify on the takeover of the Sogo department store chain.
She is alleged to have accepted Sogo vouchers to assist in the takeover by the Far Eastern group.
Though the president's trial would all but occupy the Legislative Yuan, DPP lawmakers wish the flood-control bill could be passed into law before the special session comes to an end on June 30.
Yu Shyi-kun, DPP chairman, blasted the opposition for attempting a political struggle in total disregard of the sufferings of the flood victims in central and southern Taiwan.
Floods played havoc last week. And the opposition finally agreed to act on the bill, which had been stalled for more than a year.
"What they (the opposition parties) want is a political upheaval to get the nation in chaos," Yu pointed out. "They simply have no conscience," he charged. |
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| Posted by: gaboman | | It's amazing the BS that's thrown between the two parties. I mean, the party in power at the moment are trying to take the focus off the numerous scandals that have plagued the administration (the president in particular), so they throw focus on anything they can. Yes, the floods are bad, but they're completely different problems. You are able to solve 2 things at the same time, folks.
They also like to put fear into people by saying China's coming. I mean, give me an effin' break, this president's really pushed the limit with the Chinese, and if they do show up it'll be because he's constantly pulling at the pubes of China.
It's good to make politcal commentary here, no one to come and contradict me.
For those wondering, the president's been caught up in 3 scandals in the past year (more, but these are the big ones).
The MRT (train) extentions were supposed to be done by an all Taiwanese crew. After it was found on Thai people were working there, for lower wages, and the money was disappearing, newspapers discovered that the President's Aide had been traveling to Thailand and Korea to talk to people about the railroad laborers... so the President distanced himself from the Aide... but c'mon. The Aide has no power... he's just a freakin' Aide! Can you really expect people to believe that you had no say in that? You, the president of the united states didn't know the guy you spend most of your day with was in these Countries doing what he was doing? Apparently people bought it though.
2. Sogo vouchers. Sogo is a Japanese department store, we have them here. Someone came forward and said he knows that the President and his wife accepted half a million dollars in sogo vouchers to let a deal go through smoothly involving the take over of sogos in Taiwan. Once again, evidence, spokes people came out and said they didn't do it, but reporters found the voucher numbers, have receipts and eye witnesses to the President's wife using those vouchers. But its all lies. LIES. After the truth came out, and it became impossible to deny, spokespeople came out and said No, its not half a million... nowhere near that much. And we're donating what hadn't been spent. What the hell....?
3. the President's son in law was recently arrested for insider trading. The guy had a business meeting with 3 other people about bank investers. In said meeting, they were told banks would be investing in a certain company that's stock had plumeted. Over the next 6 months, those 3 people made 10 million dollars. Of course he "didn't know he was doing anything wrong", and some media outlets actually bought that excuse, saying he's young and really didn't recognize his mistake........ he's a 40 year old doctor!!! We're not talking about a teenager, people... the man's not an idiot. The funniest thing was him denying he did anything wrong... then the police put him on a lie detector, which he failed (not admissible here, but they still do it).
The funniest thing is the President's said on many occasions that he'll step down if he's caught up in a scandal. Which reminds me, before he was president, he was here to stop 50 years of corruption by the KMT party.
Classic.
This is a rant more than anything. Hope everyone enjoyed it. | | Reply To this Message
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