Legislature begins to show a very rare display of efficiency

A fear of being blamed for stalling efforts to boost the economy and a keen desire to present an impressive report card for the election campaign appear to have prompted a rare display of efficiency on the part of legislators of late.

The Legislative Yuan passed a total of 66 pieces of legislation needed for the country's upcoming WTO entry, before adjourning late Wednesday night for the electoral recess.

Legislators have also confirmed Auditor-General Su Chen-ping's (蘇振平) third term in office and passed resolutions allowing the government to provide third-party war risk insurance to domestic airlines.

"I would give the legislature a score of 80 percent for the session thus far," DPP legislative whip Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said. "I would hope that caucuses can join forces and drive the score higher after returning from the one-month break."

The fall session will not expire until the end of December and could possibly be extended into early January, with review for next year's spending to dominate the legislature's attention.

Tsai attributed the record number of passed bills to time constraints and a lack of controversy over most of the bills.

The WTO is expected to admit Taiwan into its ranks during its meeting in Qatar on Nov. 9. The legislature has agreed to meet on Nov. 16 to confirm related agreements made in Qatar.

New Party lawmaker Levi Ying (營志宏) emphasized the sense of urgency surrounding WTO accession.

"No party cannot afford to delay the nation's long-sought WTO membership," Ying said. "That's why I went ahead and gave my approval to the related bills, despite misgivings about some of the language used in certain clauses."

Revisions to laws on tourism, petroleum and companies owed their swift adoption to the Economic Development Advisory Conference (EDAC) where industrialists argued for the importance of these revisions to galvanize the stagnant economy. The legislature has promised to pass more legislation aimed at implementing EDAC resolutions after reconvening on Dec. 4.

Still, the majority of bills approved were left over from the last legislative session -- and already had the blessings of the major party caucuses.

Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) arrived in the legislature minutes after the recess at 10pm to express his gratitude for the body's cooperation.

While welcoming the goodwill gesture, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) voiced his wish that the legislature should not be labeled as being at the root of persistent political instability.

The air of politeness marked a stark contrast to the last two sessions, in which only 68 and 48 bills were passed respectively, with opposition lawmakers frequently threatening to call a no-confidence vote against the Cabinet.

"The show of amity will serve as a plus for members of all affiliations seeking re-election on Dec. 1," Tsai observed.

Ying, however, sounded a note of caution against equating quantity with quality. He noted that most members, anxious to hit the campaign trail, had spared little time for reviewing bills.

In fact, as frequently happens in election years, the legislature has had difficulty filling its quorum since the session began on Sept. 20. For the most part, only a handful of members have shown up and those who did usually left soon after signing the attendance sheets. The lack of a quorum accounted for an unexpected recess from Oct. 16 to Oct. 19.