A political science professor is urging for a code of conduct for the legislature that would stop lawmakers from disparaging Cabinet members, following the resignation of former minister of economic affairs Chang Chia-juch (張家祝).
Liao Da-chi (廖達琪), who teaches at National Sun Yat-sen University in Greater Kaohsiung, said lawmakers who use derogatory language when questioning ministers should be condemned, as such a style is not wanted by voters.
Lawmakers deride ministers only to attract attention, which has done nothing to rebuild Greater Kaohsiung following the deadly gas pipeline blasts, Liao said, apparently referring to remarks made by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) hours before Chang tendered his resignation on Thursday last week.
In what was described by some as the final straw for Chang, Chen criticized the then-minister as “cold-blooded” and “inhumane” for appearing at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee for the review of a bill on the government’s free economic pilot zone project instead of being in Kaohsiung when a public memorial service for victims of the blast was scheduled for that afternoon in the city.
Chang was also in charge of the Central Disaster Response Center, which had been overseeing the aftermath of the blasts, which killed 30 people and injured 310.
However, Thomas Peng (彭錦鵬), an associate professor of political science at National Taiwan University, said lawmakers’ criticism was not the driving force behind Chang’s decision to resign.
Chang had been bothered by a series of setbacks in government policy efforts, Peng said.
He had been struggling to win legislative approval of the service trade agreement with China and a subsequent trade-in-goods agreement, while talks on Taiwan’s bids to join regional economic blocs have all but stalled, Peng said.
Hampered by an inefficient legislature and the deep-seated hostility between the ruling and opposition parties, Chang was unable to wield his expertise in management and economic issues to push important government projects, Peng said.
Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) accepted Chang’s resignation on Sunday, and Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Woody Duh (杜紫軍) was named to succeed him.
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