An opposition lawmaker and several civic groups yesterday called for an amendment to the Lobbying Act (遊說法), saying that passage of the act last year had been ineffective in regulating lobbying by interest groups.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英) said the act was intended to be a “sunshine bill” but had failed to target groups that needed to be regulated.
The Legislative Yuan passed the act in July last year, making Taiwan the third country after the US and Canada to enact such legislation.
PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
Huang said that since the law took effect on Aug. 8, there have been 792 registered cases of lobbying to legislators.
Among the registered lobbyists, which includes individuals, unions, professional associations, none were professional lobbyists, or corporations that lobby on behalf of others, but their representatives could be seen in the legislature, Huang said.
“The Lobbying Act was meant to regulate lobbying by [corporations], but none of them have registered,” Huang said.
“We often see individuals or public relations company representatives at the legislature who engage in lobbying, but they had not registered in accordance with the law,” Huang said.
She said many lobbyists try to get around the law by using other means, such as using written petitions or talking to the public officials' assistants, who are not covered by the Lobbying Act.
The act also requires government agencies that are potential targets of lobbyists to designate a special unit or official to accept registrations by lobbyists.
However, many government agencies have not done so, Huang said, adding that “the government is setting a bad example by breaking the law.”
Judicial Reform Foundation executive director Lin Feng-cheng (林峰正) criticized the law for its many loopholes in the law.
“The act has so many exceptions that those who want to get around the law can do so easily,” Lin said.
While the act requires all lobbyists to register their plans in advance, it does not have any influence over rich and powerful lobbyists who have established tacit understandings with certain lawmakers and therefore do not have to make their lobbying efforts public, he said.
Tsai Wan-fen (蔡宛芬), secretary-general of Taiwan Women's Link, said the act puts nongovernmental organizations in a difficult position.
She said because the law requires all lobbyists to register their expenses, it is sometimes difficult to determine whether certain tasks, such as telling staffers to write a petition, should be included under salary expenses.
“When government officials dine with rich and powerful business groups, and the groups give them written petitions, are they being regulated [by the Lobbying Act]?” asked Son Yu-lian (孫友聯), secretary general of the Taiwan Labour Front.
The Lobbying Act defines lobbying as any direct contact with public officials open to lobbying. However, it prohibits lobbying legislation related to certain matters, such as national defense.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RICH CHANG.
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