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Government structure contributes to political conflict

The country's system of government is one of the major reasons for the acrimony between the executive and legislative branches, political observers said yesterday.

"The DPP-led government is bound to encounter resistance in the legislature when it operates the semi-presidential system as if it was a presidential one," said Ger Yeong-kuang (葛永光), professor of political science at National Taiwan University.

Taiwan currently has a semi-presidential system and the government is separated into five branches: the Legislative Yuan, the Executive Yuan, the Judicial Yuan, the Examination Yuan and the Control Yuan.

The DPP has been pushing for an amendment to the Constitution to adopt a presidential system and to consolidate the government into three branches.

Although the DPP is the largest party in the legislature, its lack of a majority has dampened its ambition and ability to push for reforms and economic revitalization.

Frustrated over the decreasing number of bills passed by the legislature, Premier Yu Shyi-kun on Thursday expressed his disappointment at legislative delays.

According to Yu, the legislature passed only 17 of the 106 bills marked by the Cabinet as a priority to be finalized in the latest legislative session. Overall, it approved 136 in the first legislative session, 84 in the second and 31 bills in the just-concluded session.

"The impasse, caused by the repeated confrontations between ruling and opposition lawmakers, caused numerous administrative delays for advancing important construction projects in order to boost the sluggish economy," Yu said. "The Executive Yuan should make the public understand its frustration over the delays."

In response, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) dismissed the criticism that he had tolerated opposition attempts to stall reform measures by using their numerical edge in the legislature.

PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) also fought back, arguing that the premier's comments were inappropriate and went against the Constitution.

"The premier's remarks revealed that he perceives the legislature as the administration's legislative bureau, a notion that would generate a constitutional crisis in other countries if their Cabinet members or premiers made similar remarks," Soong said.

KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) also criticized Yu's complaints, saying that the DPP administration should admit it is still incapable of governing, three years after taking power.

"The opposition lawmakers already gave as much help as they could to the government in the legislature. This is what everyone in the country has witnessed, leading them to feel that the KMT has acted more like a ruling party, with the real ruling party performing poorly," Lien said.

After meeting with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and DPP legislative leaders, Yu on Friday came out again to lash out at the legislature, announcing that the economic and financial ministers will take the initiative to explain to the public government policies and how the legislature has been blocking them.

Irked by the Cabinet's moves, the KMT called on Chen to replace Yu, who they say has demonized and challenged the legislature. At the same time, the PFP accused Yu of blaming the Cabinet's incompetence on opposition parties.

Political commentator Pu Ta-chung (卜大中) warned that if the current "let's die together" political wrangling continues, it will eventually lead to dictatorship or military rule.

"My own pessimistic -- or maybe that should be `optimistic' -- assertion is that the strongman will enjoy a landslide victory because everyone is so fed up with political gridlock and the behavior of politicians to the point of wanting to eat them alive," Pu said.

The government system is fraught with insoluble gridlock, Pu said, adding that this imbroglio is compounded by the fact that the opposition is interested only in regaining power, ignoring the welfare of the people and obstructing the government at every turn.

"The DPP is weak, incapable, opportunistic and shortsighted, votes being its only ideal. Which part of such a democracy is worth protecting?" he asked. "How could the public not hope for a strongman to come forward and solve all these problems?"
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