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New lawmakers looking forward to starting work

"In the past, the public couldn't get access to the body's internal rules and real-time information on its activities, which is not typical of a true democracy."

Thomas Peng, Taiwan Competitiveness Forum secretary-general

Some of the younger members of the legislature will be focusing on the economy and education when the Legislative Yuan's first session opens on Feb. 22.

One of the new faces, 33-year-old Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) from Tainan City, said she felt she could make a contribution to the economy.

"A nation's economic problems cannot be solved by one legislator, but I will use my educational background in business administration to monitor the government's economic policies," she said.

She also promised to devote her time to education issues.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiang Lin-chun (江玲君), 33, who represents Kaohsiung County, criticized the government's education policy as being hamstrung by uncertainty and impairing the rights of parents and students.

"They have no idea which policy to follow," Chiang said, pledging to supervise the government as it makes education-related decisions.

Chiang also promised to be more engaged in economic issues because of "the high unemployment rate in the south."

The youngest lawmaker in the new assembly, 27-year-old KMT Legislator Chang Chia-chun (張嘉郡) from Yunlin County, said the economy would be her priority because of her county's special nature.

"Yunlin is an agriculture-based county and is more heavily influenced by the nation's economic situation than other cities or counties," said Chang, the daughter of one of the county's more powerful political figures, former county commissioner Chang Jung-wei (張榮味).

As the only legislator who was born in the 1980s, Chang promised to voice the opinions of her generation in the legislature.

In related news, several civic groups said on Friday that the new legislature should be more transparent and open to help the public better understand its internal operations and inter-party negotiating system.

Ku Chung-hwa (顧忠華), president of Citizen Congress Watch, called on lawmakers to make legislative negotiations open to the public.

"More open hearings or debates should be held to help people understand the advantages and disadvantages of legislation," Ku said. "Every interpellation should be televised live and inter-party negotiations must be recorded."

Many groups have complained about the legislature's tendency to resolve contentious proposals behind closed doors, leading to suspicions of deal-making based on the lawmakers' individual interests.

Other basic information, such as bills pending or attendance records, have not always been readily available.

"In the past, the public couldn't get access to the body's internal rules and real-time information on its activities, which is not typical of a true democracy," Ku said.

The legislature is equipped with advanced communication facilities, so it should make a greater effort to boost transparency, said Thomas Peng (彭錦鵬), secretary-general of the Taiwan Competitiveness Forum.

"People also need to know about the attendance of the lawmakers and the voting process within the legislature," he said.

Former DPP legislator Chien Hsi-chieh, chief executive officer of the Peacetime Foundation of Taiwan, said the legislature should set up or rent a TV channel to publicly broadcast every session.

"This will help people supervise our legislature and prevent corruption," Chien said.
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