Pro-transparency Web site g0v.tw (零時政府) has attained so much influence online with its mission to make convoluted government documents easy to understand and foment discussion on policies that even Cabinet officials are debating issues on the site.
Founded two years ago by civil engineers in a bid to make government decisions more transparent to the public, g0v.tw convenes bi-monthly “hackathons” where programmers, civic groups, lawyers and academics gather to talk about policies and laws.
The Sunflower movement against the government’s handling of the cross-strait service trade pact sparked a surge of participation on the Web site.
To participate in the hackathons, users must obtain a type of virtual entry ticket. The popularity of the meetings is such that these usually sell out within five minutes of being put on “sale,” leading members to joke that the passes are “hotter than [Taiwanese pop diva] A-mei (阿妹) concert tickets.”
In a hackathon, 20 groups or individuals first state their cases on a certain topic and then swap technical or professional views as they formulate propositions or amendments in an ensuing group discussion, g0v.tw members said. The discussions are usually broadcast live.
One example of the policy proposals made on the Web site is the creation of an online foodstuffs database that would allow the public to obtain detailed information on a food item by scanning the product’s barcode using an application specifically designed to interface with the archive.
The programmer who proposed the database said that to start compiling it, he first needs a vast amount of information on foodstuffs, including the products’ providers and ingredient list, calling on the site’s users and the public to help provide that information.
Other policies proposed on the site include the amelioration and simplification of governmental Web site user interfaces; the organization of public information on anti-corruption efforts; and establishing animal-friendly paths on roads that drivers can view on maps to know where they need be more cautious.
Executive Yuan Minister Without Portfolio Tsai Yu-ling (蔡玉玲) participated in one of the hackathons, where she was asked why members of the public are doing the government’s job in providing policy transparency, even though it is the government that has the resources and duty to do so.
Tsai said that the government and the public have to interact more to understand each other better.
She said that the government apparatus is large and it is imperative to determine the best way for it to function. Each person has a different point of focus in this regard, and the idea that policy implementation and change can be effected through the Internet could really help the public understand the government’s policies.
Other participants in the hackathon were optimistic about a government official attending the discussion and saw the move as a step toward greater governmental transparency. However, some expressed worries that the government’s involvement in such activities may bear no fruit.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
RSS