Convenor calls for new infrastructure meeting

By Chiu Yen-ling / Staff reporter, with CNA





The Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program draft bill review should be held again, the legislature’s Economics Committee convenor said yesterday, adding that there were flaws in her chairing of Wednesday’s review, which passed the bill amid chaos.

The convenor, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩), said she would reschedule the review for Monday, Wednesday and Thursday next week to allow for detailed, clause-by-clause deliberation.

“I am willing to take responsibility and rearrange the review. Can lawmakers of the opposition party give up hatred, restart conversations, keep their promise to not disrupt the procedure and make efforts to improve the nation’s infrastructure?” Chiu asked, calling on the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) not to boycott the draft bill.

Executive Yuan spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung speaks at a news conference on the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program at the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times

She said the DPP did not boycott a four-year NT$500 billion (US$16.6 billion) economic stimulus project proposed by then-president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in 2008, which allowed the project to be approved within a month.

KMT caucus convener Sufin Siluko (廖國棟) said the new review is “acceptable, as it is precisely our call,” but demanded a formal decision be announced by the legislative speaker or by a cross-caucus meeting, rather than on Facebook.

The New Power Party caucus yesterday morning had already asked Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) to call a cross-caucus negotiation meeting and restart substantive review, and later said it “welcomes” the DPP caucus’ decision.

Su said Chiu’s proposal is “highly commendable” and he expects there would be no boycott or physical altercations during the new review.

Premier Lin Chuan (林全) sought to assuage concerns and drum up support for the infrastructure plan, calling on all parties to put aside preconceived ideas and treat the program in a practical and reasonable manner.

No part of the plan is to be implemented until environmental impact assessments have been carried out, Lin said in response to concerns expressed by environmental groups over some of the proposed transportation projects.

There would also be no major relocation of people or land requisitions, he added.

He made the comments when speaking at a weekly Cabinet meeting, Executive Yuan spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said.

Lin addressed these criticisms a day after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said the Cabinet was not doing enough to help the public understand the plan.

Lawmakers of the ruling and opposition parties on Wednesday pushed and shoved each other during a joint committee session before the bill passed its preliminary review.

The statute would allow the Cabinet to spend NT$882.49 billion over eight years to build infrastructure projects across the nation, including new light railways and several rail extension or improvement projects.

There will be no question of leaving future generations in debt as a result of the plan, Lin said.

When announcing the plan last month, Lin said that government spending is expected to lead to NT$1.77 trillion in private-sector investment and add 0.7 percent to the nation’s GDP growth each year over the eight-year period.