The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) has finished drafting an amendment to the Local Autonomy Law (
All these measures were part of the consensus reached between political parties at the National Development Conference (
The DPP, which at the time advocated direct appointment of township mayors, has wasted no time in realizing the proposed measures since it came to power in March. The New Party and the People First Party are also supporting the new regulations, but the KMT, which stands to lose the most in the new arrangement, has urged that the amendments be bundled with the Administrative District Division Law (
Taiwan's inordinately large number and high frequency of elections has been a major factor in the growth of local factions and the prevalence of black-gold politics. Local gangsters can use township representative elections to mask their identity and hide in the shadow of an elected representative. Gang leaders can then team up with the representatives, get themselves elected as township mayors and control all personnel and resources within the township. This is how local factions have taken shape in Taiwan. Elections generate local factions, which, in turn, nurture election campaigns. For a long time, the KMT has relied on this black-gold, local-faction symbiosis to run local elections. The practice has also changed the KMT's very nature in the process, turning it into the "black-gold party" it is today.
The abolishment of township elections is a fundamental solution that will change Taiwan's local politics once and for all. It is also an opportunity for the KMT to make a fresh start by cutting the links between local factions and "black-gold" politicians. In fact, the KMT should go all out in seeing that they're abolished.
Abolishing township elections will be no less than a revolution in Taiwan's local politics because the entire local administrative system will have to be redesigned. The county and city governments will have direct authority over township mayors, who will be playing the role of executive managers implementing the missions assigned by the city and county governments. Township offices will also become simple administrative units.
On the other hand, the amendments will expand the power of the county commissioners and city mayors, which may lead to a "winner-takes-all" side effect whereby the commissioner installs his people in township positions. Complementary regulations are needed to prevent this.
Checks and balances should also be set up to prevent abuse of power at the county level. For example, the nomination of candidates for commissioner should have the approval of the county council. Or the county council should have the power of discretion over the candidate list.
Corruption in Taiwan's politics began at the grassroots level. Without systemic reform, any crackdown on local organized crime will only be a temporary fix. Amending the Local Autonomy Law is the remedy for the root problem. For the future of Taiwan and for its own revival, the KMT should stop resisting this political trend.
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