TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — DPP Legislative Caucus Convener Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) on Friday urged the KMT to propose a constitutional amendment if it is sincere about abolishing the Control Yuan.
Under the Constitution, the power of investigation — a function typically exercised by legislatures in many democracies — is vested in the Control Yuan, per the Control Yuan website. While Control Yuan members were originally elected by local representatives nationwide, then-President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) led constitutional reforms in 1992 that transferred the power to nominate members to the president.
Since the presidency gained control of the nomination process, the institution has faced criticism from both the DPP and the KMT while in opposition, per UDN. Detractors argued it has become a vehicle for political patronage.
After the Presidential Office released its list of Control Yuan nominees, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) called on the KMT to reject all nominations, per Storm Media. In a Facebook post, He said the institution had lost its neutrality and become politically biased.
KMT lawmaker Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) echoed Chiang’s criticism, saying many nominees have backgrounds in pro-independence and anti-nuclear activism, as well as involvement in recall campaigns targeting KMT lawmakers, per UP Media. KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) said the party would conduct a thorough review of the nominees, per TVBS.
The DPP, however, welcomed Chiang’s proposal. Tsai called on the opposition to introduce a constitutional amendment to advance the abolition of the Control Yuan, per UDN. He said the KMT’s calls to eliminate the institution appeared aimed at obstructing DPP governance rather than pursuing genuine reform.
DPP Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) also welcomed the proposal, noting that constitutional amendments require bipartisan support, per Newtalk. Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) urged Chiang to persuade KMT lawmakers to back the effort and help realize a longstanding DPP policy goal, per ETtoday.
