Officials pressing for speedy passage of conflict of interest law

With the presidential election drawing near, officials of the Ministry of Justice (法務部) are racing against time to finish work on a once-shelved bill that, if passed during the next session of the legislature in February, would complete a campaign pledge by the KMT's candidate, Lien Chan (連戰), to regulate the conduct of public officials.

Since its first reading four years ago, the Civil Servant Conflict of Interest Prevention Bill (工職人員利益衝突迴避法), which would restrict the scope of outside interests pursued by public officials, has been stuck in the legislature.

Ministry officials, however, are now urgently redrafting the bill, hoping to be able to present it to the Legislative Yuan by Feb. 10, when the new legislative session begins. The idea is, according to the officials, that the bill regulating the ethical behavior of public servants and representatives could be passed by the March 18 election.

"We're racing against time because we've got a strict deadline to wrap up the draft in the next couple of days," a ministry official admitted yesterday.

Despite the urgency, scholars and representatives from other agencies at a hearing yesterday raised a number of issues about the bill's content. Some even questioned whether a new law is needed at all, given the fact that there are already more than 30 regulations concerning conflict of interest and public officials.

Currently, conflicts of interest of public servants are regulated by various statutes and executive orders. The existing regulations, however, do not impose any form of liability on violators.

What makes the draft of the Civil Servant Conflict of Interest Prevention Act different is that it stipulates that violations are punishable by fines ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$1 million.

The draft bill stipulates that civil servants, including public representatives, should avoid situations where there is a potential conflict of interest with the performance of their duties. Conflict of interest is defined as a situation where a civil servant or his or her family members profit in the carrying out of the civil servant's work.

Under the draft legislation, public representatives would be prohibited from voting on bills presenting a potential conflict of interest.

KMT legislator Chao Yung-ching (趙永清), who initiated the bill four years ago, said it is absurd that public representatives who have ruthlessly been pursuing their own interest cannot be regulated at all.

"Many of them have come to the legislature with an eye to opportunities for profit. They can easily make a fortune by passing budgets or bills which profit their own businesses. Is there any more convenient way of making money?" Chao asked.

"I saw little chance that the bill would be supported in the legislature when I initiated it years ago. I'm just hoping it will get passed this time," Chao said.