《TAIPEI TIMES》 DPP alarmed at having Wu on defense committee

By Jason Pan / Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） lawmakers yesterday expressed concern over the Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） assigning Wu Sz-huai （吳斯懷）, a legislator-at-large and retired lieutenant general, to the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee in the legislature’s upcoming session.

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Wu attracted controversy in 2016 for attending the commemoration of Sun Yat-sen’s （孫逸仙） 150th birthday in China, during which he listened to a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping （習近平） and stood as participants sang the Chinese national anthem.

“Wu has been publicly criticized for what he has said about national defense issues and cross-strait relations,” DPP caucus secretary-general Cheng Yun-peng （鄭運鵬） said.

“For this legislative session, DPP members will remain on high alert when participating in committee sessions,” he added.

DPP caucus deputy secretary-general Lin Ching-yi （林靜儀） questioned the KMT’s motives.

“Does Wu want to access classified military documents and budget items? I think the public has misgivings about the KMT’s motives,” she said.

“The KMT should take responsibility for his stances on national defense and foreign affairs. If serious breaches take place, the KMT must be held accountable,” she said.

Wu said that people must not question his loyalty to the Republic of China.

“If I leaked state secrets or betrayed the country, there would be severe punishment, even execution by firing squad,” he said.

Wu has been invited to sit on the committee for his military expertise, KMT caucus whip Tseng Ming-chung （曾銘宗） said.

“Why is the DPP afraid of Wu serving on the committee? If he contravenes the law in committee proceedings, the judiciary has the legal authority to investigate him,” he said.

Additional reporting by Chen Yun

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES