Wang offers ECFA-stalemate compromise

The ruling Kuomintang (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) -led opposition have locked horns over how the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) signed June 29 should be screened.

The DPP has insisted that the pact should be examined and debated article-by-article, while the KMT wants to hold a legislative vote to ratify or reject the ECFA in its entirety, as it is holding to the standpoint that tinkering with the individual clauses would be tantamount to the abrogating the entire agreement.

Wang made his suggestion of a compromise after presiding over consultations between the ruling and the opposition parties earlier that same day.

He suggested that an informal meeting be held July 8, with an extra session held July 13 in which Premier Wu Den-yih will report on the ECFA to the legislature and field questions over a three-day period.

A committee will then review the ECFA article-by-article July 19-23. Whether or not the committee can complete the screening within that time, it will be sent to the legislature floor for review.

Both the ruling and the opposition parties must commit that the ECFA will be passed July 30 at the latest, he said.

“The commitment must be put down in words and both sides must abide by them to avoid clashes,” Wang said.

Wang said that both sides should also commit to the fact that there will be only one extra session and that the review will have to be completed in one session, with no additional session permitted.

Both sides can take his suggestions back to their respective headquarters and make a final decision Wednesday afternoon, Wang said.

Meanwhile, President Ma Ying-jeou said he was glad to learn that the KMT legislative caucus had reached a consensus that the ECFA should be put to a legislative vote.

As the KMT controls a legislative majority, a vote would be favorable to the party.

In response, the DPP legislative caucus said it could not accept the proposal, which it described as “sending the pact to the legislative committee for fake screening, with the real purpose being putting it to a vote.”

Most of the DPP legislators said they “tend not to agree with the suggestion,” as it would allow no revision, and would mean that the DPP would appear to be endorsing the KMT.

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