Premier refuses to countersign law relocating 50 veteran village households

Taipei, Feb. 6 (CNA) Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said Friday he would not countersign legislation passed by the opposition-controlled Legislature involving the relocation of 50 households in a veteran village to a defense ministry housing project.

Cho told reporters that he would not countersign the amendments to the Act for Rebuilding Old Quarters for Military Dependents, which was introduced by Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) and cleared the Legislature on Jan. 17.

The amended act scrapped a provision that restricted eligibility for relocation or reconstruction to veteran villages built prior to the end of 1980, revising the cutoff to those established before the act took place on Feb.5, 1996.

The legislation thus provides a legal basis for 50 households from Tzu-jen 8 Village -- a complex in Taipei's Da'an District commissioned in 1989 -- to relocate to a dormitory in Wenshan District's Wanlung managed by the Ministry of National Defense (MND).

Cho cited three grounds for his decision: first, he claimed that the "case-specific" bill was unconstitutional, as laws must be generally applicable, citing the principle of equality enshrined in Article 7 of the Constitution and the prohibition against case-specific legislation established in Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 793.

Second, Cho argued that the Legislature infringed upon the Executive Yuan's budgetary authority under the Constitution, given that the relocation would increase the financial burden on the Old Military Dependents' Village Reconstruction Fund.

The premier further noted that the legislation "disregarded" previous judicial rulings.

He was referencing the MND's 2012 decision to revoke the eligibility of Tzu-jen 8 Village residents, acting on an investigation by military prosecutors that revealed administrative oversight had erroneously resulted in them being listed as eligible for the Wanlung complex.

Under the Constitution, the premier's countersignature is mandatory for a law's promulgation, even if the president signs it.

This is the second time Cho has refused to countersign a law passed by the Legislature, following his refusal to sign an opposition-backed amendments to the local revenue-sharing law last December.

In response, Lo blasted the Executive Yuan for unilaterally refusing to countersign legislation passed by the Legislature, calling it an illegal breach of the Constitution and accusing the administration of being a "power-hungry monster."

Lo justified his proposal by citing the high cost of maintaining the idle Wanlung complex facility and the deterioration of Tzu-jen 8 Village -- a situation exacerbated by the fact the residents lack property rights and are therefore legally barred from renovating their homes, according to his previous statements.

Lo also argued that relocating the 50 households from Tzu-jen 8 Village to the Wanlung complex would allow the government to revitalize the original site, thereby generating significant revenue for the national treasury.