E-Paper
Video: Taiwan lawmaker snatches bill, runs off with it to halt passage
Chaotic scenes in Taiwan parliament as lawmakers clash over reform proposals
Chaotic scenes surfaced in the Taiwan parliament on Friday as lawmakers engaged in physical altercations over proposed chamber reforms. The altercations took place shortly before president-elect Lai Ching-te assumed office without a legislative majority.
What is the flashpoint?
The opposition aims to grant parliament more power to oversee the government, including a controversial plan to criminalise officials for making false statements in parliament.
During an all-out brawl, a member of Taiwan's parliament expressed discontent in a unique way as he took away a bill and ran off to prevent its passage.
DPP lawmaker Kuo Kuo-wen snatched the bill documents and fled to disrupt the proceedings, reported Focus Taiwan.
Several lawmakers were taken to the hospital after the day-long scuffle at the legislature. Around midnight, the review of several controversial parliamentary reform bills, article by article, was stopped until May 21.
ALSO READ- India, Pakistan issue advisory for students in Kyrgyzstan against mob violence: ‘Stay indoor’
Watch Taiwan lawmaker's ‘run with bill’ act here
Lai has no majority
Lai, set to become president on Monday, won the January election, but his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its majority in parliament.
The main opposition, the Kuomintang (KMT), has more seats than the DPP but not enough for a majority, so it's collaborating with the small Taiwan People's Party (TPP).
ALSO READ- Widespread power outages from deadly Houston storm raise new risk: hot weather
Slugfest over parliament reform
The DPP accuses the KMT and TPP of rushing the proposals without proper consultation, calling it an unconstitutional abuse of power.
"We oppose this because we want discussions, not one-sided decisions," said DPP lawmaker Wang Mei-hui.
KMT's Jessica Chen said the reforms aim to enhance legislative oversight of the executive branch, adding that the DPP wants to maintain its grip on power.
ALSO READ- King Charles III is ready to step out of UK for the first time since his cancer diagnosis
Taiwan parliament is not new to brawls
In 2020, KMT lawmakers tossed pig guts onto the floor during a dispute over US pork imports.
