Tuesday’s protest by thousands of people outside the Legislative Yuan calling for transparency in the review of controversial reform bills showed that Taiwan’s democracy is thriving and gave the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) a morale boost, the party said yesterday.
On Tuesday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislators made progress on one of the bills that would allow for the creation of committees to investigate the government, requiring government, military and private entities to provide witnesses and documents to assist in probes. Those who do not comply with the investigations could be fined repeatedly.
The opposition parties, which won a legislative majority in January, are also seeking changes that would require officials to appear more frequently in the legislature to answer questions. Individuals could be subject to criminal penalties if they are found in “contempt of the legislature.”
Photo: CNA
The DPP has said the proposals are intended “to undermine the Constitution and disrupt government.”
Protesters are expected to return tomorrow, when KMT and TPP legislators would make a final push to pass the bills.
DPP Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said he was encouraged by the large protest, adding that it “boosted the morale of DPP lawmakers.”
However, the impact of the protests has yet to be seen, he said.
“The crowd of 30,000 on Tuesday, along with those who return on Friday and in the coming days, they are the strongest force as authentic voices of Taiwanese,” he said.
He said the DPP thanks the protesters not just for seeking to counter the KMT’s and TPP’s legislation, but also calling for oversight and scrutiny of DPP legislators.
“People know very well the DPP is not an all-powerful party that has everything go its way. [The protesters] are people who are willing to drop whatever their doing to come here and demonstrate, because of their personal beliefs and aspirations,” he said.
DPP legislative caucus secretary-general Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said that so many people showed up to protest because they were angry at the lack of transparency from the opposition parties, which are pushing through the bills without following standard procedures, such as a clause-by-clause review and party negotiations.
“It is encouraging to see [the protesters’] support, knowing that DPP legislators would lose when it comes to a floor vote, but we are winning the hearts of people through public discourse, by explaining the political aims of the bills and how they would affect society,” she said.
DPP Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said she is worried about the bill that would make “contempt of the legislature” a punishable offense, which many civil society groups say would take Taiwan backward to an era of repression and secret police under the KMT’s one-party regime prior to the end of martial law.
“This is why people came out to protest. They are angry and disheartened about the subversion of Taiwan’s democracy,” she said. “That is also why the European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan stated their opposition, with concern for the chilling effect the bills would have on society and the business community, and that legislators were expanding their authority without checks and balances.”
She said that Taiwanese for 50 years struggled under authoritarian rule, fighting for freedom of expression and democracy.
“However, within three months after the legislative elections, we see the blue and white political parties cooperating to nullify Taiwan’s democratic framework,” she said.
Under the bills, legislators could demand that organizations hand over membership lists, and if they are not forthcoming on documents they request, they could charge people with “contempt of legislature,” Fan said.
“This is why civil society is afraid. They cannot even have the right to hold information, a right to privacy,” she said.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
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