Ruling and opposition party legislative caucuses finally reached a consensus on Wednesday to halve the number of legislative seats. For the first time, the Legislative Yuan is initiating a constitutional amendment, which, if successful, would be the nation's seventh constitutional amendment. This is indeed a great step forward for politics in this country. Although legislators were reluctant to support a reform which will cost many of them their jobs, election pressures left them no choice but to sign.
Downsizing the legislature and implementing a single-member district, double-ballot system are both measures that are long overdue. The number of legislative seats will be cut from 225 to 113, 34 of which will be held by legislators-at-large. The number of female or male lawmakers will be required to be at least 30 percent of the total. These measure will also help improve the quality of lawmakers, since those marginal legislators who have specialized in eccentric measures to attract the support of a mere 5 percent or 10 percent of voters in an electoral district will not be re-elected. This will also consolidate and deepen party politics and greatly improve the nation's political culture.
Two important questions, however, remain.
First, are the parties really serious about passing this constitutional amendment? Will they pass it before the presidential election or will it be put aside until after the election? Government and opposition finally agreed to the reform plan, but their political concerns are all too obvious. Aside from responding to advocates of legislative reform, the rush to pass the proposal before polling day also stems from the parties' electoral concerns.
Viewing legislative reform as its main battlefield, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) demanded an extraordinary legislative session next week to deal with the proposal. To avoid being attacked over the legislative reform issue, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party rushed to sign the document and emphasize that they supported the guaranteed quota for women. The Taiwan Solidarity Union made a U-turn to support the single-member district system. Will their promises remain valid after pressure is removed?
Second, is this the proper process for a constitutional amendment? Will the mere promotion of legislative election reform achieve the goal of a thorough reform of the government? A review of the process on Wednesday indicates that all involved were hasty and slipshod, but any effort to amend the Constitution should be carried out according to the strictest standards.
According to the spirit of Council of Grand Justices Interpretation No. 499, a review committee should call a public hearing to hear public and scholarly opinions on a constitutional amendment, allow the legislators proposing the amendment to explain their reasoning and proceed from a general debate to debating each article in order to give the issue thorough treatment. These steps are missing.
The parties have either overlooked or put aside accompanying issues that also require legislation such as whether the right to unseat the Cabinet and dissolve the legislature should remain once legislators' terms have been extended to the same length as the presidential term. Rushing legislative reform prior to the presidential election will create constitutionally-related problems, and this is not good from a long-term legal perspective.
Legislative reform should be initiated as soon as possible, but the constitutional amendment process requires great care and continuity. The piecemeal approach of previous amendments must not be repeated, or it would be better to write a new constitution in 2006. The people are monitoring the ability of all the parties to deliver on their legislative reform promise.
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.