A scholar on East Asian affairs stated in in a newspaper opinion piece that as the legislature's Internal Administration Committee already oversees issues related to cross-Taiwan strait exchanges, a new legislative committee for this purpose would be redundant. Professor Chiu Kun-Shuan of National Cheng Chi University noted in the United Daily News article Tuesday that the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus is demanding the establishment of a legislative committee to oversee the current cross-strait negotiations. 'DPP legislators may have forgotten that in 2005 during their party's rule, their legislative caucus was strongly against the establishment of a cross- strait committee and they suggested that such a committee would intrude on the president's jurisdiction, 'he stated. He noted that President Ma Ying-jeou said Tuesday in a press briefing on the proposed cross-strait agreement that while the government would not shun oversight, he would expect that the jurisdiction of the legislature would be observed, in accordance with the Constitution. From the perspective of the governmental system, a proper assessment should be made to see whether the legislature falls short in its performance of such functions, the scholar suggested. Currently, the Mainland Affairs Council reports to the Internal Administration Committee of the legislature, and arranges informal briefings on the government's cross-strait policies to the legislative speaker and executives of party caucuses, the professor stated. 'While the legislative committee holds the decision-making power, all motions must be forwarded to the general assembly,' he added. 'Important policies, such as the signing of an ECFA which involves legal issues such as tariffs, must be screened by the Internal Administration Committee and approved by the assembly before they could be implemented,' he elaborated. In addition, the Executive Yuan has decided to give 10 briefings to the legislature on the progress of the ECFA negotiations from February to June, he said. Therefore, the creation of a new legislative committee would be redundant, Chiu said. An oversight mechanism for cross-strait negotiations has always been there, and it is not possible for the Executive Yuan to unilaterally make relevant decisions, he added. 