Taiwan's lawmakers have long enjoyed international renown for their fisticuffs and other antics in the legislature. They've never really needed to worry about losing an election because they could easily get jobs as clowns performing slapstick in a travelling circus.
The fisticuffs have become less frequent as Taiwan has democratized, but the legislators have come up with a new repertoire -- one that rivals Stephen King's novels and Jay Leno's talk shows for suspense, surprise and flavor. Its basis is scandal-mongering, with legislative impunity.
Everyone knows that James Soong (宋楚瑜) was Beijing's chosen man during the last presidential campaign and that Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) victory was the last thing China wanted. But that has not stopped Chin Huei-chu (秦慧珠), a legislator from Soong's People First Party, from claiming that China's President Jiang Zemin (江澤民) gave Chen US$5 million so he would be able to beat Soong. Chin has even produced alleged correspondence between Taiwanese businessman Winston Wang (王文洋) and Jiang's son, Jiang Mianheng (江綿恆), as proof of her allegations. According to Chin, Beijing provided half of Chen's campaign funds on the condition that he take a thoroughly pro-China stance if elected.
This, of course, Chen has not done, aggravating cross-strait relations to such an extent that they have become a cause for concern for the entire world. What Hollywood comedy writer could ask for a better script?
In fact, Chin's little piece of theater was only a sideshow to the opposition lawmakers' grilling of young officials from the Presidential Office yesterday. A big fuss was made about Taiwan being ruled by "boy scouts" -- as if the idea of being guided by people you don't have to worry about trying to rob you blind is too scary. Insinuating questions were asked about the officials' private lives in an apparent attempt to highlight Chen's alleged "Monica-gate"scandal.
One question alleged that Chen recruited his secretary Ma Yung-cheng (
This not really true. Legislative immunity does not cover private affairs and those defamed can file civil lawsuits. But the lack of discipline in the Legislative Yuan ensures that its members will receive no meaningful punishment. If lawsuits are filed, the judiciary is usually very polite and lenient to legislators -- so much so that cases almost invariably end up being dragged out for years.
Taiwan's multiple-member-district electoral system ensures that legislators can get themselves re-elected even if 90 percent of voters in their districts dislike them. They could win -- or simply buy -- the votes of the remaining 10 percent. This encourages lawmakers to resort to all manner of antics to steal the limelight. Such behavior ensures chaos in our political system.
In recent years, the Legislative Yuan has been expanded in political arrangements designed to mitigate repercussions from democratic reforms, such as the downsizing of the provincial government and the abolishment of the National Assembly. But does Taiwan really need a 225-seat legislature? To end the chaos, the legislature should immediately work to establish the authority of its Discipline Committee. Eventually, the legislature should be downsized to 113 seats through a Constitutional amendment. The electoral system should also be changed to single-member districts, to make sure that lawmakers will need at least 50 percent mandate to get elected.
If we do not improve the quality of our lawmakers, Taiwan will remain a laughingstock when it talks about its democratization.
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