DPP Lawmakers Stand With Recall Groups While KMT Defends Positions

TaiwanPlus News

Lawmakers from Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party stood with civic groups looking to recall main opposition Kuomintang lawmakers, while KMT lawmakers defended their stances on television. With the vote a little over a week away, both sides of the recall movement are beginning their final push to win voters over.

Transcript

00:00Great recall. Big success. Great recall. Big success. Great recall. Big success.

00:08Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party stand alongside civic campaigners,

00:14backing their efforts to recall two dozen opposition Kuomintang legislators.

00:19Recall campaigners say the KMT is working on behalf of the Chinese government to infiltrate the country.

00:26I believe that a great recall sends an important message to the global society

00:31because we believe Taiwan is an independent country and we don't want a Chinese agent in our Congress.

00:39So we would like to July 26, everybody can stand out and agree to recall and make our Taiwan great again.

00:49The DPP holds the presidency but has a minority in Taiwan's legislature.

00:54The KMT, together with the smaller Taiwan People's Party, has blocked or derailed DPP legislation.

01:03Disagreements over everything from the country's budget to government restructuring has caused a good deal of bad blood.

01:10Veteran DPP lawmakers say the people are fed up with the opposition holding the majority.

01:15On Wednesday, several of the lawmakers whose seats are at stake had a chance to make their case on TV.

01:42KMT Caucus Whip Fu Kunqi, who represents Hualien County in eastern Taiwan,

01:48is one of the more senior lawmakers facing a recall.

01:51He says recalling him would be a step in the wrong direction for his constituents.

01:56And he says it would be a step toward letting the DPP consolidate absolute power.

02:01On one side, DPP lawmakers stand with the mass recall campaigners,

02:25saying the movement is a means toward a more effective government, free from external infiltration.

02:32On the other, the KMT is digging in its heels, saying that they're the ones defending democracy.

02:38But in a democracy, the people decide.

02:41And Taiwan's voters will decide who has the more compelling argument at the ballot box next weekend.

02:48Klein Wong and Leslie Liao for Taiwan Plus.

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