DPP to expel dissidents: Ker

He told the official Central News Agency nobody should make such a suggestion at the party’s expanded executive council meeting scheduled for today.

Reform-minded DPP lawmakers suggested Monday after President Chen had made a “report to the nation” Sunday that he and the first lady be referred to the party’s disciplinary committee for review of their conduct.

He made the report, vowing to step down if his wife were convicted of corruption by the Taipei district court. Both were involved in the misuse of the fund budgeted for the conduct of “affairs of state.”

If the suggestion is accepted, the first couple will have their party membership suspended. The ruling party has made it a rule to suspend any member implicated in corruption.

Any question and recommendation may be discussed at the executive council meeting, Ker said. “But I am personally against the party taking any disciplinary action against the first couple,” he declared.

The reason is simple, Ker went on. “Those who agree with the president and believe he is innocent should not try to refer him and his wife to the disciplinary committee,” he pointed out.

“Anybody who thinks the president is wrong should not stay in the party, trying to take advantage of its support on the one hand and attempting to appear reform-minded,” Ker pointed out.

Such people are “fence-sitters,” determined to score gains whichever way they appear, Ker added.

His deputy whip Chen Ching-chun attended a joint leadership meeting at the Office of the President, where he declared the DPP legislative caucus has decided to boycott the voting on a third motion to recall the president.

The opposition alliance of the Kuomintang and the People First Party succeeded yesterday in putting their new motion on the agenda for Friday.

President Chen survived the two previous recall attempts on June 27 and Oct. 13, thanks to his DPP lawmakers boycotting the voting.

A recall motion has to be adopted by a two-thirds majority of lawmakers present and voting. The ruling party has 85 lawmakers, 11 more than one-third needed to vote down the motion.

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