Opposition urges Lai to ‘fix’ constitutional crisis

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucuses yesterday urged President William Lai (賴清德) to communicate with opposition parties to resolve the constitutional crisis.

Lai in his Double Ten National Day speech yesterday said that the gates of this “city upon the hill” must be wide open to the world, but he has built high walls between himself and Taiwanese who have different opinions, KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Hsu Yu-chen (許宇甄) said.

The Executive Yuan’s refusal to countersign bills passed by the Legislative Yuan has caused a constitutional controversy, yet Lai has not initiated effective dialogue, she said.

From left, former president Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang, former vice president Annette Lu and former vice president Chen Chien-jen attend Double Ten National Day celebrations yesterday in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei.

Photo: Screen grab from the video

The magnanimity of a president lies in their willingness to open doors to those with differing opinions, Hsu said, adding that democracy does not mean that the winner of an election can monopolize the state, nor demanding that opposition parties obey the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Lai in his speech boasted that Taiwan’s economic growth rate is expected to exceed 11 percent this year, yet he turns a blind eye to the nation’s worsening K-shaped economy, she said.

While artificial intelligence and semiconductor industries report growing profits, traditional sectors bear the brunt of tariffs, exchange rate fluctuations and rising costs, Hsu said.

Even as the stock market hits record highs, many working-class families remain overwhelmed by soaring prices and overinflated housing costs, she added.

The KMT caucus calls on Lai to promptly invite all political parties for substantive dialogue and consultation, focusing on addressing constitutional disputes, livelihood legislation and budgetary issues, while establishing a mechanism for continuous dialogue, she said.

Taiwanese want to live and work in peace, not political illusions; cross-party reconciliation, not high walls of confrontation, she added.

KMT Chairperson Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said economic growth should benefit older manufacturing industries, services, agriculture and fisheries, and not be concentrated in the high-tech sector.

Meanwhile, TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) called on Lai to promulgate laws passed by the legislature.

The Legislative Yuan has not yet begun committee review of the central government’s budget for next year and a supplementary budget for this year, Huang said, accusing Lai of creating a misleading impression that lawmakers were deliberately delaying their passage.

Lai had called on lawmakers to swiftly review and pass the budgets.

Lai in his speech said that “political parties may compete, and opinions can differ, but the Taiwan we are so firmly rooted in should not be divided as a result,” but the president and his DPP government have “torn Taiwan apart” by launching a recall against opposition lawmakers and refusing to countersign laws passed by the legislature, TPP caucus whip Jacky Chen (陳清龍) said.

Chen urged Lai to set aside partisan differences, listen with an open mind, and respect the legislature as well as democracy’s system of oversight and checks and balances.