Tensions have risen between the ruling and opposition parties at the Legislative Yuan over the qualifications of Yao Chia-wen (
The ruling and opposition parties take issue with Yao because of his pro-independence background. The "pan blue" camp wants him to renounce this stance while the "pan green" camp calls on him to embrace and not forget his ideals. Facing these expectations, Yao found himself caught in a dilemma.
Though he launched a public relations offensive by telling his lawmaker wife "I love you" during a hearing at the Legislative Yuan, he still cannot get rid of the controversy over his love life.
Shouldering the heavy burden of his well-known pro-independence stance, Yao cannot possibly stop others from questioning him if he takes over the post. It will be difficult to allay the concerns from the two camps unless Yao states publicly that he is quitting the DPP, thereby rising above the unification-independence controversy and taking a neutral stance.
Whether to abolish the Examination Yuan has also been a matter of constant dispute. Some hold that there is no need for an independent Examination Yuan, that a Western-style three-branch government should be adopted and that we only need to set up a specialized institution under the Cabinet to hold civil service examinations.
The DPP used to firmly advocate the dissolution of the Examination Yuan and now it is paying a painful price to win the president's post. To this end, Yao has not hesitated to stoop and solicit support from lawmakers and has clearly stated that he supports and is willing to abolish the Examination Yuan.
Should the nominations for both president and vice president of the Examination Yuan require the legislature's approval?
Chang Po-ya (張博雅), the nominee to be vice president of the yuan, said, "[We will] abide by the Constitution."
According to the Constitu-tion, such a problem does not exist. It is understandable why Chang tries to solicit votes independently from the presidential nominee, but the bigger problem is the division of functions and powers between the two positions, especially when the deputy has to stand in for the president when he or she is unable to carry out official duties.
Though reasonable and persuasive, Chang's handling of the issue has also highlighted the contradictions between the Constitution and the Organization Law of the Examination Yuan (
The legislature is set to exercise, for the first time ever, the power to approve government personnel appointments after the 1997 amendments to the Constitution. The fight over this approval power will determine whether the legislature's functions can be put into effect. This battle will also test loyalty within the pan-blue and pan-green camps.
Rumors about second-choice nominees also show that President Chen Shui-bian (
I sincerely hope that this controversy over the nominee's qualifications can help sort out relevant constitutional problems.
Personnel disputes might be quickly put on the back burner, but flawed and confusing systems will repeatedly foment disputes. How can we ignore the problem when it will undermine the development of the entire nation?
Wang Yun-tung is an assistant professor of sociology at National Taiwan University.
Translated by Jackie Lin
The recent passing of Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛), known to many as “Big S,” due to influenza-induced pneumonia at just 48 years old is a devastating reminder that the flu is not just a seasonal nuisance — it is a serious and potentially fatal illness. Hsu, a beloved actress and cultural icon who shaped the memories of many growing up in Taiwan, should not have died from a preventable disease. Yet her death is part of a larger trend that Taiwan has ignored for too long — our collective underestimation of the flu and our low uptake of the
For Taipei, last year was a particularly dangerous period, with China stepping up coercive pressures on Taiwan amid signs of US President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline, which eventually led his Democratic Party to force him to abandon his re-election campaign. The political drift in the US bred uncertainty in Taiwan and elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific region about American strategic commitment and resolve. With America deeply involved in the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the last thing Washington wanted was a Taiwan Strait contingency, which is why Biden invested in personal diplomacy with China’s dictator Xi Jinping (習近平). The return of
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛), known affectionately as “Big S,” recently passed away from pneumonia caused by the flu. The Mandarin word for the flu — which translates to “epidemic cold” in English — is misleading. Although the flu tends to spread rapidly and shares similar symptoms with the common cold, its name easily leads people to underestimate its dangers and delay seeking medical treatment. The flu is an acute viral respiratory illness, and there are vaccines to prevent its spread and strengthen immunity. This being the case, the Mandarin word for “influenza” used in Taiwan should be renamed from the misleading
Following a YouTuber’s warning that tens of thousands of Taiwanese have Chinese IDs, the government launched a nationwide probe and announced that it has revoked the Republic of China (Taiwan) citizenship of three Taiwanese who have Chinese IDs. Taiwanese rapper Pa Chiung (八炯) and YouTuber Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源) in December last year released a documentary showing conversations with Chinese “united front” related agency members and warned that there were 100,000 Taiwanese holding Chinese IDs. In the video, a Taiwanese named Lin Jincheng (林金城), who is wanted for fraud in Taiwan and has become the head of the Taiwan Youth Entrepreneurship Park