Alliances in full play at Legislative Yuan standing committee co-chair elections

Alliances in full play at Legislative Yuan standing committee co-chair elections

2023-02-23

The Legislative Yuan on Thursday held elections for the co-chairs of its standing committees, with plenty of alliances playing a role in the outcome. In the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, a Taiwan People’s Party lawmaker helped the DPP edge out the KMT to win both co-chair positions. The favor was returned in the Education and Culture Committee, where DPP votes helped a TPP lawmaker win the co-chair post. Meanwhile, a New Power Party lawmaker voted for a KMT co-chair in the Transportation Committee.

Just two weeks after giving birth, Taiwan People’s Party lawmaker Cynthia Wu headed to the Legislative Yuan. As a member of the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, her vote is crucial. The votes are counted and the results are in. The committee’s two co-chairs are both from the DPP.

Lin Wei-chou
KMT lawmaker
I’ll be upset for three days. From hope to despair.

KMT lawmaker Lin Wei-chou aired out his helplessness at the KMT’s defeat. Of the 15 seats in the committee, nine are taken by DPP lawmakers, and four by KMT lawmakers. The DPP was sure to get one of the co-chair positions with five of its votes, but votes for the other co-chair role would’ve been tied between the DPP and KMT, at four votes each. That would’ve triggered a lucky draw, but with Wu’s support, the seat went to the DPP.

Lin Wei-chou
KMT lawmaker
She had agreed to vote for me, but in the end she flip-flopped on me. She did it yesterday. She walked on over to cast a vote and voted for the DPP. Had she not come, we could’ve drawn lots. DPP caucus whip Ker and committee co-chair Chiu Tai-yuan all went to visit her at home, and that’s why she agreed to come and vote.

Chiu Tai-yuan
DPP lawmaker
I did not go to her house, absolutely not. Today was the first time I saw her since she had the baby.

The DPP and TPP were strategic with their votes. Over in the Education and Culture Committee, the DPP voted for the TPP’s Chang Chyi-lu張其祿 to trigger a tie with the KMT’s Wan Mei-ling. It was then all left to fate. And luck was on Chang’s side. The committee is now headed by the DPP and TPP, with Fan Yun and Chang as co-chairs.

Lin Wei-chou
KMT lawmaker
What a shame… The trust between the KMT and the TPP has withered to nothing.

Chiu Chen-yuan
TPP caucus whip
What we are hoping to do is to use the few key people we have to reach their maximum potential power.

Over in the Transportation Committee, the New Power Party’s Chen Jiau-hua voted for the KMT’s Chen Hsueh-sheng, helping the KMT win a co-chair position. In the rest of the committees it was all one co-chair each from the DPP and KMT. All in all, the DPP took nine co-chair slots, the KMT six, and the TPP one.

立院召委選舉綠白聯手林為洲:互信蕩然無存

2023-02-23

立法院今天進行召委選舉，為了搶攻擁有排案權力的委員會召委，上演合縱連橫戲碼，民進黨團在衛環委員會兩席召委全拿，堪稱大勝利，原因出在爭取到民眾黨立委吳欣盈關鍵一票，落敗的國民黨立委林為洲高喊真心換絕情。而民進黨立委也在教育文化委員會將票投給民眾黨立委張其祿，讓他得以抽籤勝出。林為洲表示，未來藍白互信恐怕蕩然無存。

生產完才兩週，民眾黨立委吳欣盈就現身立法院，在衛環委員會扮演關鍵一票的她，即使月子還沒做完，也要來投票。最後投票結果，衛環委員會兩席召委都是民進黨拿下。

[[立委(國) 林為洲]]
“傷心個三天吧，真心換絕情”

國民黨立委林為洲高唱真心換絕情，因為衛環15席立委，民進黨擁有9席，國民黨4席，民進黨原本只篤定當選1席，但就在吳欣盈奧援下，沒收了林為洲的抽籤機會。

[[立委(國) 林為洲]]
“本來談好的(投給我)，結果被她翻掉，昨天才翻掉，你看她今天架著出來投票，而且是投給民進黨，唉，不然妳若不要出來，我還可以抽籤，柯總召跟邱泰源，都親自去拜訪吳家，然後就他們就答應了”

[[立委(民) 邱泰源]]
“完全沒有，完全沒有，我今天第一次見到，生產後第一次見到”
綠白策略性合作，民進黨在教育文化委員會，投給民眾黨立委張其祿，讓他和國民黨的萬美玲同票數，抽籤決勝負。張其祿手氣旺，教育文化委員會召委是民進黨的范雲和民眾黨的張其祿。

[[立委(國) 林為洲]]
“遺憾啦，遺憾啦，本來(藍白)一些互信基礎就蕩然無存”

[[民眾黨立院黨團總召邱臣遠]]
“關鍵少數如何發揮最大的力量，這個是我們在這部分所追求的”

交通委員會因為時代力量立委陳椒華投給國民黨的陳雪生，幫助國民黨搶得一席。其他五個委員會，藍綠各一席。最後民進黨共拿下9席，國民黨6席，民眾黨1席。

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Member of public
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Member of public
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Chen Wan-hung
Third-generation Western restaurant owner
When the water droplet rolls over the top, then the temperature is definitely hot enough.

These plates made of galvanized iron are another tradition that makes the restaurant stand out from competitors. The plates and recipes are based on the kitchen of the U.S. Seventh Fleet from the 60s. The cooking techniques have been updated since then, but retain the same aesthetic of American cuisine.

Chen Wan-hung
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Something we’re famous for is the iron plate fillet, because it uses these galvanized iron plates that were originally given us by the U.S. Navy. My father ran the restaurant for 36 years, and he realized that actually some of his ways of working didn’t conform to the demands of this era. So he asked me if I wanted to take over. If I didn’t, then perhaps our restaurant would have had to close. So it felt like a responsibility to me, because I grew up here at the restaurant.

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Chu Tzer-min
DGBAS minister
Last year, inflation was 2.9% or so, close to 3%. In this year’s forecast we’re near 2.16%, so there’s a downward trend, but we still have the pressure of rising prices.

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