Post by Moses on Jul 5, 2005 20:50:16 GMT -5
Postal bills slip through Lower House
07/06/2005
The Asahi Shimbun
The Lower House passed the postal privatization bills Tuesday in a narrow vote that indicates the Cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is in for an even tougher time in the Upper House.
The bills were passed by only five votes, with 233 voting in favor and 228 against.
The close vote was due to 37 members of the Liberal Democratic Party bucking the party line and casting nay votes, along with all the opposition parties. Fourteen Lower House members of the ruling party did not attend the plenary session, effectively lowering the hurdle for rejection of the postal bills.
Koizumi and other LDP executives had expressed confidence prior to the vote that party members would fall in line. After the vote, the confidence turned to anger.
Four of the LDP members who voted against the bills served as senior vice ministers or parliamentary secretaries. They were dismissed from their posts Tuesday afternoon.
The four were:
*Seiichi Eto, senior vice minister in the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare;
*Masahiro Morioka, parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare;
*Makoto Taki, senior vice minister in the Justice Ministry; and
*Kazuko Nose, parliamentary secretary in the Environment Ministry.
Eto, Morioka and Nose handed in their resignations before the vote. But Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda explained that their resignations were not accepted so that they could be dismissed instead.
The LDP said it would not take disciplinary action against the other defiant members until after the Upper House vote.
Other influential LDP politicians who voted against the bills included: Tamisuke Watanuki, former Lower House speaker; Shizuka Kamei, former LDP policy chief; Mitsuo Horiuchi, former chairman of the LDP General Council; Takao Fujii, former transport minister; and Seiko Noda, former posts and telecommunications minister.
"The result was slightly short of expectations, but in the second round (the Upper House), we will obtain a complete knockout," Kamei said.
With the passage of the bills, Koizumi can depart today for the Group of Eight summit in Scotland knowing that his long-time pet project is halfway to becoming law.
But after his return, deliberations in the Upper House to begin Monday are expected to be a brutal affair that could have a serious effect on Koizumi's handling of the government.
The ruling coalition has a smaller margin over the opposition in the Upper House. With the opposition parties expected to again vote against the privatization legislation, Koizumi's project could be killed if only 18 members of the ruling coalition oppose.
Koizumi still has the option of calling a snap election if the Upper House votes down the postal package. But such a setback for Koizumi would likely accelerate moves to select his successor.
Although Koizumi acknowledged that the Lower House vote was close, he rejected suggestions that the results showed a decline in unity in his government.
"It is said a number of times every year that the unifying force is declining, while at the same time I am accused of being a dictator," Koizumi said. "Those who criticize are really arbitrary."
[Maybe they don't like dictators]
He also ruled out any new revisions to the bills, which had been watered down in an attempt to appease opponents.
Prior to the vote, government officials and LDP executives estimated that at most 20 LDP members would vote against the bills, with 30 or so sitting out the session.
But after the vote, a government official said: "We have to reflect on the results. There were times when I wondered how it would turn out."(IHT/Asahi: July 6,2005)
07/06/2005
The Asahi Shimbun
The Lower House passed the postal privatization bills Tuesday in a narrow vote that indicates the Cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is in for an even tougher time in the Upper House.
The bills were passed by only five votes, with 233 voting in favor and 228 against.
The close vote was due to 37 members of the Liberal Democratic Party bucking the party line and casting nay votes, along with all the opposition parties. Fourteen Lower House members of the ruling party did not attend the plenary session, effectively lowering the hurdle for rejection of the postal bills.
Koizumi and other LDP executives had expressed confidence prior to the vote that party members would fall in line. After the vote, the confidence turned to anger.
Four of the LDP members who voted against the bills served as senior vice ministers or parliamentary secretaries. They were dismissed from their posts Tuesday afternoon.
The four were:
*Seiichi Eto, senior vice minister in the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare;
*Masahiro Morioka, parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare;
*Makoto Taki, senior vice minister in the Justice Ministry; and
*Kazuko Nose, parliamentary secretary in the Environment Ministry.
Eto, Morioka and Nose handed in their resignations before the vote. But Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda explained that their resignations were not accepted so that they could be dismissed instead.
The LDP said it would not take disciplinary action against the other defiant members until after the Upper House vote.
Other influential LDP politicians who voted against the bills included: Tamisuke Watanuki, former Lower House speaker; Shizuka Kamei, former LDP policy chief; Mitsuo Horiuchi, former chairman of the LDP General Council; Takao Fujii, former transport minister; and Seiko Noda, former posts and telecommunications minister.
"The result was slightly short of expectations, but in the second round (the Upper House), we will obtain a complete knockout," Kamei said.
With the passage of the bills, Koizumi can depart today for the Group of Eight summit in Scotland knowing that his long-time pet project is halfway to becoming law.
But after his return, deliberations in the Upper House to begin Monday are expected to be a brutal affair that could have a serious effect on Koizumi's handling of the government.
The ruling coalition has a smaller margin over the opposition in the Upper House. With the opposition parties expected to again vote against the privatization legislation, Koizumi's project could be killed if only 18 members of the ruling coalition oppose.
Koizumi still has the option of calling a snap election if the Upper House votes down the postal package. But such a setback for Koizumi would likely accelerate moves to select his successor.
Although Koizumi acknowledged that the Lower House vote was close, he rejected suggestions that the results showed a decline in unity in his government.
"It is said a number of times every year that the unifying force is declining, while at the same time I am accused of being a dictator," Koizumi said. "Those who criticize are really arbitrary."
[Maybe they don't like dictators]
He also ruled out any new revisions to the bills, which had been watered down in an attempt to appease opponents.
Prior to the vote, government officials and LDP executives estimated that at most 20 LDP members would vote against the bills, with 30 or so sitting out the session.
But after the vote, a government official said: "We have to reflect on the results. There were times when I wondered how it would turn out."(IHT/Asahi: July 6,2005)