Groups hold mock review of ECFA in the legislature

By Vincent Y. Chao Taipei Times
Thursday, Jul 22, 2010, Page 3

Members of an association dedicated to monitoring cross-strait agreements meet the press in Taipei yesterday to announce the establishment of seven committees to monitor various aspects of the recently signed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement.

PHOTO: WANG YI-SUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
More than 30 non-profit organizations yesterday joined a mock review of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) in the legislature yesterday, in an attempt to increase pressure on lawmakers to hold a substantive review of the controversial trade pact.

The mock review included representatives from human rights, labor and government watchdog organizations who later issued a joint statement saying that they were attempting to do the job that the legislature was supposed to carry out.

“Cross-strait agreements should be monitored on the basis of [looking after] Taiwan’s democracy, human rights ... environmental [issues] ... and sovereignty,” the statement said.

It added that they would compile the viewpoints discussed during the review and forward them to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucuses.

The DPP caucus has boycotted the ECFA review in protest against a decision by the KMT caucus to bypass a committee review and send it straight to a second reading.

The group yesterday blasted the KMT’s move, saying it was “clearly illegal.”

Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強), convener of the session, said the recordings from the legislative session on July 8 clearly showed some DPP lawmakers rejecting a proposal to send the pact directly to a second reading.

“But the legislative speaker did not even hold a vote on it and directly announced the verdict ... there are clearly some defects in the process,” he said.

Suggestions later compiled from the session’s comments include correcting the legislative record to state that some legislators did express their opposition to sending the pact directly to a second reading, when lawmakers meet again next month. Another suggestion was to send it back to the legislative committee for further review and to hold public hearings.

Tsai Chi-hsun (蔡季勳), the Secretary-General of Taiwan Association for Human Rights, denied that the mock review was politically motivated.

“Our aim is to monitor cross-strait agreements in the long-term. We are not involved with any particular political party and are non-partisan,” she said.