The US House of Representatives is informally referred to as the People’s House or the People’s Legislature, because US representatives are elected every two years to ensure that prevailing public opinion is reflected in the House.
The Legislative Yuan was established by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in accordance with the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution. Now that the KMT has collapsed, there is an opportunity for the Legislative Yuan to reinvent itself as the Taiwanese “people’s legislature.”
The defeat of the KMT in last month’s presidential and legislative elections was the result of a failure by the party to adapt to the changing socio-political environment of Taiwan.
For the past few decades, the KMT has attempted to maintain the legitimacy of its mandate to rule the nation, while ignoring public opinion. In doing so, the KMT deprived Taiwanese of the hope for political reform and a better life.
The legislature is responsible for supervising the executive branch and protecting public interests.
However, under the abnormal conditions of the KMT party-state, the legislature has, since its inception, failed to represent the public, having performed the sole function of rubber-stamping government decisions. This arrangement continued with the re-election of legislative members, until last month.
The KMT has historically maintained a monopoly on seats within the legislature, which acts as a voting machine to maintain a veil of legitimacy for KMT leaders.
The legislature used competition between leaders of local factions and bloc voting to make sure that political power remained in the hands of the KMT. In addition, legislators belonging to a particular local faction relied on assistance from the party, first to obtain their seats and then to further their careers.
This system encourages neglect and encourages corruption within the legislature. “Factional legislators” view their positions in the legislature as a part-time job and only vote when they are mobilized by the KMT.
Cooperation between the KMT and its local factions means that party leaders place themselves above public opinion. Their goal is to achieve victory for their party; they have no interest in winning elections to serve the public.
However, the public has learned the KMT’s ways; only political parties that promise to help are likely to be successful in future elections. Conversely, a party that seeks to impede public opinion and prevent the public from achieving success would be forced out.
The newly formed legislature is both younger and more professional than its predecessors and the new legislators attended every session so far. Under the guidance of the Democratic Progressive Party there is hope that the new crop of legislators might be able to break through the old system, so that the Legislative Yuan can truly reflect public opinion and allow Taiwanese to achieve victory.
The young legislators are not wrapped up in the pursuit of their careers, meaning they are able to fully dedicate themselves to their duties. They are also well-placed to liven-up the functions and capabilities of the legislature by uniting public opinion with the expertise of specialists and to push through reforms that transform the legislature into the people’s house.
The legislature has given hope for a new phase of democratic transition. Political parties that are unwilling to undertake reforms and unwilling to let the public win are ultimately swallowed up by the democratic tide that is enveloping the nation.James Wang is a media commentator.
Translated by Edward Jones
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