Since the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) together secured a majority in the Legislative Yuan in February, the two parties have proposed numerous draft amendments to the Act Governing the Legislative Yuan’s Power (立法院職權行使法), which would provide legislators with greater powers to investigate government officials, businesses and citizens.
However, outraged by the absence of proper legislative procedures and the lack of transparency, tens of thousands of protesters gathered outside the legislature on Tuesday to call for the withdrawal of the proposals.
The protesters said they are concerned that the amendments could lead to officials being arbitrarily charged with “contempt of the legislature” during interpellations, and that legislators could penalize them without having to provide any justification.
Other organizations such as Citizen Congress Watch also denounced the two parties for not adhering to procedural justice, despite having a majority to pass their proposals.
In spite of the widespread anger, the KMT and the TPP still voted to pass the second reading of the amendments. They said that the new legislation is only intended to prevent officials from providing irrelevant or deceptive responses when being questioned by lawmakers, and that this move would accelerate the legislative reforms they promised during their election campaigns.
However, the explanations have not convinced the public. Many still condemn the opposition for refusing to publish the details of the amendments on the Legislative Yuan Web site, undermining the democratic system.
Such criticism is directed especially toward TPP Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), who vocally opposed the KMT’s attempt to force the passage of the cross-strait service trade agreement in 2014, but is now accused of behaving in a similar manner.
President William Lai (賴清德) also called on the Legislative Yuan to function properly in his inaugural address on Monday. He said that while competition among political parties is inevitable, cross-party cooperation is needed to avoid unnecessary conflict. He also said that legislators should prioritize the national interest over their narrow party interests, adding that this is essential to ensure long-lasting social stability.
Several other political figures also voiced support for a more harmonious operation in the legislature. In an open letter published on Monday, New Power Party (NPP) Chairperson Claire Wang (王婉諭) said the president should convene a national affairs conference with opposition parties, so that the proposed bills could be thoroughly examined by each party through rational dialogue.
Taiwan Statebuilding Party Chairman Wang Hsing-huan (王興煥) in a speech at the protest on Monday called for the public to fight politicians’ abuse of power, adding that public solidarity is the most effective way to deter politicians from illegitimately expanding their power.
Although people have differing concerns about the reforms, most believe that the opposition ought to strictly observe the legislative procedures and allow the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to review the bills during the consultative sessions, and that the minority should accept all voting outcomes. Many also believe that it is equally important for the opposition majority to incorporate the DPP’s opinions into its legislative process so as to foster mutual respect.
Hopefully, with continued public supervision, the three parties would eventually opt for cooperation over competition, and work out solutions that can minimize public discontent.
Tshua Siu-ui is a Taiwanese student studying international relations and politics in Norwich, England.
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not