Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday stonewalled the legislature yesterday to express their displeasure over the confirmation of a decision to approve controversial legal revisions allowing Chinese students to study in Taiwan and recognizing Chinese educational credentials.
DPP caucus whip Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) said his caucus would not tolerate what it described as the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers’ contempt for legislative procedures and the opposition.
“Unless the KMT caucus declares null and void the Internal Administration Committee’s confirmation [on Wednesday], the DPP caucus will suspend negotiations with the KMT caucus,” Lee said. “It stands to reason that the DPP boycott the session. The KMT caucus is to blame for the deadlock.”
On May 10, the KMT-dominated joint meeting rammed through an amendment to the Act Governing Relations Between Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) amid skirmishes, with the DPP lawmakers arguing that the joint committee did not complete the procedure for the preliminary review. KMT lawmakers, on the other hand, argued that the session had cleared controversial legal revisions to allow Chinese students to study in Taiwan and to recognize Chinese educational credentials.
The KMT lawmakers on Wednesday rejected a motion proposed by the DPP caucus at the joint committee to override the May 10 review.
KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇), chairperson of the joint committee, yesterday said he did not violate rules of procedure.
“As DPP lawmakers all opposed the amendment on May 10, they were not qualified to propose a motion for reconsideration of the review on May 10,” he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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