Why keep these Yuans?
The Presidential Office on Monday said that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has approved the establishment of nomination committees for the Control Yuan and the Examination Yuan to assist her with selecting new members for the two organizations, and that she has asked the legislature to approve the committees.
This news made me feel distressed.
During former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) time in office, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) made a strong push for the abolition of both institutions.
In addition, then-Control Yuan president Wang Chien-hsien (王建煊) likened his institution to chicken ribs, which “are tasteless, yet people can’t make themselves throw them away,” while a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) think tank said that “it hinders the nation’s advancement and development.”
The pan-blue camp found itself almost lacking the power needed to keep them.
Why doesn’t the DPP propose changing the Constitution? Tsai needs to explain why the party now wants to keep both institutions.
Furthermore, on Dec. 10 last year, the legislature passed an amendment to the Examination Yuan Organization Act (考試院組織法) that would reduce membership from 19 to between seven and nine, and the term of office for the president, vice president and members from six years to four years.
According to a rough estimate, these changes would save the nation about NT$30 million (US$991,604) annually in personnel expenses.
As the Examination Yuan cannot be abolished until the Constitution has been amended, there is nothing wrong with this approach, but, surprisingly, now the government plans to nominate a full set of Control Yuan members.
This is really unacceptable.
Tsai Mei-chu
New Taipei City
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