Multinational companies in Taiwan should pay attention to legislation proposed by the opposition pertaining to whistle-blowing and plans to criminalize “contempt of the legislature,” the European Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan said in an analysis published on the chamber’s Euroview Web site on Tuesday.
The article, titled “Taiwan Politics Review,” said the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus in the legislature plans to pass whistle-blower protection legislation and that the caucus has also “proposed to criminalize ‘contempt of the Legislative Yuan,’ similar to the criminalization of ‘contempt of Congress’ in the United States.”
“A deputy minister of justice warned this would have a ‘chilling effect’ on the willingness of witnesses to cooperate with the Legislative Yuan, and a commentary in Taiwan media called the proposal ‘absurd,’” it said.
Photo: Screen grab from ECCT’s Facebook page
“If whistle-blower protection is extended to the private sector, companies will need to understand what these protections are and train employees accordingly,” it added.
“If contempt of the Legislative Yuan is criminalized, corporate leaders will need to understand the risks of not cooperating with a Legislative Yuan investigation or otherwise engaging in any behavior, however well intentioned, that might anger legislators,” it said.
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