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.
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
RSS