During the extraordinary legislative session on Monday, the Legislative Yuan finally completed the historical mission of Taiwan's constitutional reform when it officially passed the constitutional amendments to reduce the number of legislative seats from 225 to 113 and replace the "multi-member district, single-vote" system by a "single-member district, two-vote" system. The amendments were made in accordance with the rational ideology of legislative reform in advanced democratic countries. They will further strengthen the nation's relatively weak democratic tradition, so that Taiwan can catch up with both Japan and South Korea, and become a model democratic Asian country.
During the constitutional reform process, discordant voices could be heard from both the ruling and opposition parties. This really worried the non-governmental groups which were concerned about the reform issue. But the Nuke-4 Referendum Initiative Association, led by Lin I-hsiung (
The significance of the legislative reforms lies in underlining the will of the people to overcome powerful political interest groups through the mobilization of public opinion and making use of democratic procedures. This kind of democracy is still rare and precious in Asia. As Lin said, the quality of Taiwan's politics is not dependant on the number of legislative seats, but on the quality of the politicians who fill them. The untrustworthiness and bad reputation of some politicians has caused public resentment for many years. Therefore, the upsurge of public opinion that has brought about this legislative reform is a punishment for the poor quality of legislative activity, and sounds the death knell for those politicians who cannot keep faith with the public.
The unprecedented cooperation of the four main parties in pushing through legislative reforms seems to indicate that the chances of future constitutional reforms, or even a new constitution, have been greatly increased. The current Constitution is clearly no longer a sacred text that cannot be altered. Moreover, despite China's threats and bullying to prevent the reform process, Taiwanese forged ahead in a determined manner. Taiwan's four major parties have cooperated in conforming to the public's will, and have created a great victory for democracy. This is the beginning of a new era for Taiwan's identity.
The legislative downsizing and the adoption of a "single-member district, two-vote" system will come into force in the seventh legislative elections, which take place in 2007 (the legislature will be swon in in 2008). It is expected that Taiwan's political environment will change as a result, becoming dominated by two political blocs which might incorporate other, smaller parties. If the year-end legislative elections prove to be detrimental to the interests, or even the survival, of small parties, then the shift to two political parties is even more unavoidable. If this is the case, Taiwan will inevitably tend toward establishing a presidential system of government, which will gradually replace the unbalanced dual-executive system currently in place. It is the achievement of Taiwan, after 50 years of authoritarian rule, to now be firmly established on the road to democracy. This is a substantial symbol of the will of the Taiwanese people. If this political will is maintained, it is likely that referendums may also be written into the Constitution. Then there will be no cause for foreigners to criticize Taiwan's internal affairs any more.
As strategic tensions escalate across the vast Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan has emerged as more than a potential flashpoint. It is the fulcrum upon which the credibility of the evolving American-led strategy of integrated deterrence now rests. How the US and regional powers like Japan respond to Taiwan’s defense, and how credible the deterrent against Chinese aggression proves to be, will profoundly shape the Indo-Pacific security architecture for years to come. A successful defense of Taiwan through strengthened deterrence in the Indo-Pacific would enhance the credibility of the US-led alliance system and underpin America’s global preeminence, while a failure of integrated deterrence would
The Executive Yuan recently revised a page of its Web site on ethnic groups in Taiwan, replacing the term “Han” (漢族) with “the rest of the population.” The page, which was updated on March 24, describes the composition of Taiwan’s registered households as indigenous (2.5 percent), foreign origin (1.2 percent) and the rest of the population (96.2 percent). The change was picked up by a social media user and amplified by local media, sparking heated discussion over the weekend. The pan-blue and pro-China camp called it a politically motivated desinicization attempt to obscure the Han Chinese ethnicity of most Taiwanese.
On Wednesday last week, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta published an article by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) asserting the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) territorial claim over Taiwan effective 1945, predicated upon instruments such as the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation. The article further contended that this de jure and de facto status was subsequently reaffirmed by UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly issued a statement categorically repudiating these assertions. In addition to the reasons put forward by the ministry, I believe that China’s assertions are open to questions in international
The Legislative Yuan passed an amendment on Friday last week to add four national holidays and make Workers’ Day a national holiday for all sectors — a move referred to as “four plus one.” The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who used their combined legislative majority to push the bill through its third reading, claim the holidays were chosen based on their inherent significance and social relevance. However, in passing the amendment, they have stuck to the traditional mindset of taking a holiday just for the sake of it, failing to make good use of
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