Having won the presidential election and achieved its first ever absolute majority in the Legislative Yuan, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should seek to utilize its administrative and legislative resources to implement transitional justice and deepen the nation’s democratic system, Foundation for Asia-Pacific Development president Kang Ning-hsiang (康寧祥) said at a forum the foundation held in Taipei yesterday.
Academics also called on the DPP to prioritize the effort to deal with the issue of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) assets and establish a protocol for the transfer of power between different parties.
Without a democratic system, the good life would disappear, Kang said at the forum, which was held to discuss issues relating to sustainable development of governmental systems following the transfer of power.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The nation’s lack of economic success in recent years was the result of the overtly China-friendly policies of the KMT government under President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Kang said, adding that while some Taiwanese have made money, they are now paying the price for the economy being too reliant on China.
President-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) must prioritize the KMT’s party asset issue, “which is a national concern as it involves Japanese-colonial era assets, and implement full-fledged transitional justice,” National Taipei University (NTU) Department of Public Administration and Policy professor Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) said.
Chen cited Germany as an example of successful transitional justice policies, saying that over the past 15 years, Germany has processed all the controversial events that took place in former East Germany, adding that the resolution of such issues is necessary to deepen democracy in Taiwan.
The Legislative Yuan needs to be more transparent and open with its procedures and release of information to prevent the abuse of power and governmental corruption, Chen said, adding that governmental committees should be open for citizens to attend and a special broadcast service to view ongoing meetings at the legislature should be implemented.
“As opposed to the Ma administration’s opaque negotiations, the [new] government must pass a cross-strait accords oversight act so governmental dealings with China are entirely transparent,” Chen said.
Identifying with China is like a recurring rash on a body that is weak and the DPP should make identification with Taiwan a priority, National Dong Hwa University College of Indigenous Studies professor Shih Cheng-feng (施正峰) said.
Taiwan Brain Trust member Lee Ming-chun (李明峻) said the DPP must institute a legal process for the turning over of power between political parties.
Lee pointed to the US’ Presidential Transition Act as an example, which allocates several million US dollars to be used by the outgoing president and the president-elect to facilitate the handover process, adding that in France, once the new president is proclaimed, the handover must occur within 10 days.
The French government sees the handover of nuclear launch codes as the signifier that presidential authority has been passed to the next administration, Lee said, adding that Taiwan should also formulate some legal basis for the transition of power.
WARNING: People in coastal areas need to beware of heavy swells and strong winds, and those in mountainous areas should brace for heavy rain, the CWA said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued sea and land warnings for Typhoon Ragasa, forecasting that it would continue to intensify and affect the nation the most today and tomorrow. People in Hualien and Taitung counties, and mountainous areas in Yilan and Pingtung counties, should brace for damage caused by extremely heavy rain brought by the typhoon’s outer rim, as it was upgraded to a super typhoon yesterday morning, the CWA said. As of 5:30pm yesterday, the storm’s center was about 630km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving northwest at 21kph, and its maximum wind speed had reached
MATAIAN RIVER: Rescue operations were ongoing, with officials urging residents to move to higher floors where possible as teams focus first on those at ground level Floodwaters from the overflowing Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) barrier lake swept into Hualien County’s Guangfu Township (光復) yesterday afternoon, leaving hundreds of people trapped and three missing as of press time last night, the Hualien County Fire Bureau said. The waters surged into downtown Guangfu after the riverbank burst at about 2:50pm, carrying mud and debris and submerging streets to rooftop level in some areas. Residents were seen climbing onto vehicles and rooftops to await rescue as thick, silt-laden water inundated the town. The surge destroyed the Mataian Bridge (馬太鞍溪橋) and flooded the Guangfu Railway Station. Rescue operations were launched with support from fire departments
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hualien and Taitung counties declared today a typhoon day, while schools and offices in parts of Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties are also to close Typhoon Ragasa was forecast to hit its peak strength and come closest to Taiwan from yesterday afternoon through today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Taiwan proper could be out of the typhoon’s radius by midday and the sea warning might be lifted tonight, it added. CWA senior weather specialist Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said that Ragasa’s radius had reached the Hengchun Peninsula by 11am yesterday and was expected to hit Taitung County and Kaohsiung by yesterday evening. Ragasa was forecast to move to Taiwan’s southern offshore areas last night and to its southwestern offshore areas early today, she added. As of 8pm last night,