When parts of Kaohsiung were hit by torrential rain brought by Typhoon Lekima this month, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) was busy campaigning in Nantou for next year’s presidential election. This was a concern for Kaohsiung residents.
The Civil Servant Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) does not regulate how long an elected person must remain in their post before running in another election.
However, Han was granted a NT$26.77 million (US$851,409 at the current exchange rate) election subsidy by the Central Election Commission for last year’s mayoral election, and whether he wins the presidential election or not, he will probably receive at least NT$100 million in subsidies paid for by taxpayers.
Something has gone wrong if he can receive so much money twice in such a short period of time.
It has been suggested that legislation should be made to prevent civil servants from contesting an election while in office, or election subsidies should be canceled for political parties or individual candidates.
However, creating legislation would take too much time, and it clashes with the interests of political parties, so it would be impossible to win their support.
It has also been suggested that — with the exception of someone running for re-election — when a civil servant registers for an election, the date of registration should be regarded as the date of resignation from their position, and they should have to return any election subsidies received.
However, since every citizen has the right to participate in political elections, the resignation requirement could be criticized for depriving a person of their constitutional rights and would also lead to by-elections. Elections are quite frequent, so it is not advisable to add more elections unnecessarily.
Here are a few suggestions on amending the law to make it fair and just, and to facilitate agreement between the ruling and opposition parties.
First, there is no need to change the election subsidy threshold. As long as an elected person contests another election before reaching the end of their current term, or if they take a post as civil servant, they should have to repay the full amount of the subsidies received when running for the original position.
Some legislators argue that the election subsidy is for the election itself, and not a guarantee that they will serve a full term. This is wrong.
Voters voted for a certain person because that candidate promised to serve the full term and dedicate themselves to the job. This is why the candidate received enough votes to gain the subsidy.
Second, in addition to returning received subsidies, an elected person contesting another election should not receive a campaign subsidy for the new election. This would ensure that candidates are determined to serve voters and their country rather than making empty promises and building castles in the air to receive high subsidies.
Only someone running for re-election should receive a new subsidy and not have to return previous election subsidies.
This is not to suggest that all subsidies should be canceled, but rather that civil servants who want to contest another election while still serving in an elected position should be made to “feel the pain” so that they do not make such a decision lightly. Certain political parties would not be targeted, as it would apply to all.
Hopefully the act will be amended successfully, putting Taiwan’s elections on the right track.
Anny Wei is a former chief executive of D-Link Corp
Translated by Lin Lee-kai
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