Major figures from Google, Nvidia and AMD converged in Taipei early this month and announced plans to boost their investments in Taiwan — now a global production powerhouse for artificial intelligence (AI) technology, drawing attention from across the globe. However, Taiwan must still contend with opposition parties’ expansion of power, damaging of the nation’s democratic and human rights systems, and its impact on Taiwan’s image abroad. The hobbling of democratic institutions, and the impact on the government and the international community’s perception of Taiwanese democracy could affect foreign investment.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is pairing up with the Executive Yuan to propose a review of controversial bills. On Friday last week, the DPP launched a nationwide “oppose abuse of power, let the public lead” drive to help the public understand how the bills impact their rights and interests, and the effective operation of institutions and the government.
Civic groups could make strong inroads by holding discussions and forums, opening town hall meetings, and utilizing social media forums and online media to explain why the Executive Yuan has requested a reconsideration of the bills that would expand the Legislative Yuan’s power, and how such legislation would harm human rights and hamper the government’s ability to govern. Movements such as the Bluebird movement could consolidate civic strength against opposition party oppression, compel a review of the legislation and lead to the bills’ recension.
If the legislature rejects the call for a review, civic groups should support the Executive Yuan and the DPP’s request for a constitutional interpretation of the laws, and initiate recall petitions for malicious lawmakers. For the latter to succeed, civic groups should carefully build their case based on solid reasoning. The goal should be to elevate the quality of government inquiry.
Discourse surrounding recalls should redefine how these amendments are disturbing society and damaging the government, and how they would impact national development, human rights and interests. Before recalls can take place in February next year, there is about eight months to get the ball rolling. Civic groups ought to continue entrenching civic movements, transforming them from recall drives to social movements that promote civic education. They could set the foundation for exceptional, democratically governed structures that would allow the public to handily veto these amendments should they go through a public referendum.
To achieve the goal of civic education, civic groups should hold intensive seminars, speeches, televised media and stage performances, to get society to understand the power of local factions and networks, and that those holding vested interests would harm the public’s rights and interests, the development of local industries and the quality of public infrastructure.
An excellent democratic government cannot have ties to corrupt local power, factions or vested interests at any level. It should respect the development of local industries and the nation’s economy, promote public infrastructure, and expound progressive values and reformist mindsets. It should cast off traditional patronage networks and factions, and the intertwining of interpersonal patronage relationships and influential local officials. It should establish an excellent public society.
By holding talks and forums across the nation, the DPP could elevate the quality of Taiwanese democracy. To deepen democracy, the DPP could follow the lead of the civic groups such as the Bluebird movement, bolstering cooperation and support, and divide and conquer.
Michael Lin is a retired diplomat, formerly posted in the US.
Translated by Tim Smith
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