Today, the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China processed the parliamentary reform bills proposed by the Kuomintang and the People First Party. Due to differing stances between the ruling and opposition parties, Democratic Progressive Party legislators Shen Boyang, Qiu Zhiwei, and Guo Guowen attempted to occupy the chairman’s podium, but were pushed off by Kuomintang legislators. During the scuffle, Shen Boyang fell off the podium in a bizarre manner and was rushed to the National Taiwan University Hospital for emergency treatment.
The Legislative Yuan handled the parliamentary reform bills proposed by the blue and white camps today with the intention of advancing them to the third reading and vowed to conduct a fierce battle of votes through overnight sessions. The Green camp expressed dissatisfaction with the parliamentary reform bills, particularly regarding the addition of the offense of contempt of parliament as an expansion of legislative power, which they deemed unconstitutional.
Han Kuo-yu declared a call for negotiation. DPP caucus convener Ker Chien-ming stated that in the next four years, if the blue and white camps join forces, the DPP will not win. He acknowledged this fact but emphasized that without proper procedures such as complete speeches and negotiations by the majority leader, the Legislative Yuan will witness its biggest conflict ever, leading to a transformation resembling the National People’s Congress of China or Hong Kong’s legislature.
Han Kuo-yu convened the ruling and opposition parties twice today for negotiations, but consensus could not be reached on the agenda and bills. Han Kuo-yu called for a recess during the stalemate. Around 5:30 PM, Han Kuo-yu reentered the chamber and announced the continuation of the meeting while dealing with a proposal from the People First Party caucus to extend the parliamentary session, which was passed with the blue and white camps leveraging their numerical advantage for the overnight session.
During the session at the Legislative Yuan, it was proposed by the DPP caucus whether a roll call vote should be conducted. Han Kuo-yu, presiding over the meeting, decided to switch to a show of hands vote and ordered the back door of the chairman’s podium to be blocked. With 108 legislators present, only 46 supported the proposal, which was insufficient for the DPP’s proposal to pass. The parliamentary reform bills were forcefully passed under the cooperation of the blue and white camps with versions from the Kuomintang and the People First Party.
During the detailed discussions in the evening, around 7 PM, DPP legislators broke through the back door and entered the chairman’s podium in an attempt to disrupt the meeting and prevent its continuation, leading to clashes with Kuomintang legislators on site. Several DPP legislators including Shen Boyang, Guo Guowen, and Qiu Zhiwei were pushed off the podium by multiple Kuomintang legislators, resulting in Shen Boyang falling off in a peculiar manner. Following the incident, medical staff from the Legislative Yuan called for an ambulance, and Shen Boyang, lying on a stretcher, was rushed to the National Taiwan University Hospital for emergency treatment.
Subsequently, DPP legislators Chung Chia-pin, Qiu Zhiwei, Zhuang Ruixiong, and Kuomintang legislator Wu Tsung-hsien were also sent to the National Taiwan University Hospital for emergency treatment due to health issues. Around 8 PM, Han Kuo-yu announced the resumption of the meeting, prompting protests from DPP legislators.
Premier of the Republic of China, Chen Chien-jen, in a media interview today, expressed respect for legislators exercising their duties. However, he noted that the Executive Yuan has also taken notice of the concerns raised by various sectors of society, even from foreign businesses regarding these issues, and hopes that the Legislative Yuan can gather various opinions and foster better coordination and communication between the ruling and opposition parties to arrive at the best solutions. He also stressed that rational discussions are crucial for resolving issues effectively.