Nothing can be more ironic than the fact that independent legislator Lo Fu-chu
This absurdity of Taiwan-style democracy was highlighted again yesterday with Lo's assault on a female legislator. Granted, it was improper for the People First Party's Diane Lee
Whether Lo is actually involved in the school's affairs is unclear. But his violent reaction is exactly the reason why he has not been able to shake off his image as a mafia boss. Yesterday was not the first time Lo has been involved in a violent brawl in the legislature or hit another lawmaker. Lee has joined a list of "pummelees" that includes Yu Jan-daw
Earlier this month, a court sentenced Lo to a 59-day jail term for his attack on Yu, although the jail time could be paid off with a fine; Lo said he was "glorified" by the sentence. He is also the suspected mastermind behind lawmaker Liao Hsueh-kuang's
However, Lo has never received just nor effective punishment for his savagery -- a reminder that Taiwan is the only country in the world where lawmakers do not have to take responsibility for either their words or actions. That lack of self-discipline is compounded by the inability of the legislature's Discipline Committee to effectively regulate lawmakers' behavior. Every member of that body should be ashamed of such brawls, which are often featured in newscasts around the world.
No attempt to curb lawmakers' behavior will be successful without systemic reforms. Even the KMT wrote "anti-black gold" rules into its nomination systems after last year's election loss. No party will now nominate anyone who has been convicted of criminal charges. However, the anti-black gold amendments to the Public Officials Election and Recall Law proposed by the Ministry of Interior have been frozen in the Legislative Yuan ever since they were sent there by the Executive Yuan late last year. Lawmakers with criminal records are opposed to the amendments and there is no knowing when they will be passed. The legislature should take advantage of the furor stirred up by the attack on Lee to push through the amendments as soon as possible.
Efforts to eliminate black gold are just one step toward cleaning up Taiwan's political world -- a world where respected authors who lack a high school diploma are ineligible to run, but convicted criminals with diplomas face no barriers. The multi-member district electoral system is also a major factor behind the appallingly wide range in the quality of our lawmakers. Multiple district systems not only ensure that minority support can elect lawmakers, but they also allow extremists to make inroads into the legislature. The government should quickly enact two reforms: the adoption of a single-member district, two votes system and the redrawing of the country's constituencies. We would then be able to improve the quality of our lawmakers by having them represent the majority opinions of their constituencies and by having an additional vote to cast for political parties. Taiwan should be a nation of laws, not unruly lawmakers.
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