A proposal to reform the legislature would be the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) main theme for the January legislative elections, the party said yesterday in a press conference.
The two-phase proposal, which aims to improve legislative efficiency and change the legislative electoral system, was approved by the DPP’s Central Standing Committee yesterday and would be the party’s main demand to appeal for voter support, former DPP legislator Lin Cho-shui (林濁水) told reporters.
A complete reform of the legislature is necessary because it has long been seen as flawed by the public with its bad system design, including negotiation of party caucuses, the realignment of committee members every six months, unequal votes and lack of respect for minority parties, Lin said.
The first phase would seek to establish respect for the seniority of committee members, authorize legislators to investigate topics of public concern and hold public hearings and reaffirm transparency and the avoidance of conflicts of interest for all legislators, Lin said.
“The first stage would be easier to achieve because it focuses on the reform of internal regulations or practices,” Lin said, adding that the current flawed design dated back to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government’s deliberate attempt to weaken the legislature during the Martial Law era.
The second phase is expected to be much more difficult, as it would change the current electoral system, under which legislators are elected from districts of drastically different populations, which leads to the phenomenon of “votes of unequal values.”
For example, Lin said, the lone legislator from Matsu represents a population of 9,000, while a legislator from Taiwan proper represents an average of 300,000 people.
However, a change in the legislative electoral system, the redrawing of constituency maps in particular, is a sensitive and complex issue, which is why it would not be initiated before a consensus is reached, he added.
The DPP believes the time is ripe for such reforms, as the KMT, which at one point influenced more than 75 percent of seats in the Seventh Legislative Yuan, will no longer enjoy a dominant majority after the January legislative elections, Lin said.
“A KMT that enjoys a strong majority is much less likely to work with the DPP on such bold initiatives,” Lin said.
The proposal is not a finished product yet, as DPP members have divergent ideas about the second phase, he said, adding that he plans to present a white paper on electoral reform, which would represent his personal views, later this month.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source