Wed, Jun 18, 2003 page8

• Editorial: Put partisan interests aside

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  The Executive Yuan has stopped worrying about maintaining harmonious relations with the Legislative Yuan and gone on the offensive, criticizing the legislature for its inefficiency. On Monday, it went a step further and proposed that lawmakers convene an extraordinary session in order to review six major financial and economic laws.

  The proposal was aimed at attracting more public attention on the opposition's obstructionism since the Cabinet is not legally empowered to call an extraordinary session. Legislators must put together a joint proposal for such a session and have it signed by the president. The Cabinet's proposal requires cooperation from both the Presidential Office and the DPP's legislative caucus.

  The legislature's performance in the last session was its worst in recent years. The number of bills reviewed and passed per session has fallen from a high of 134 to 84 in recent years to 31 in the last one. The Executive Yuan submitted 106 bills during the last session, of which only 17 were passed. The premier has expressed strong dissatisfaction with such limited results.

  The lawmakers' priority has also been a target of criticism. Both the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (Amcham) and the European Chamber of Commerce (ECCT) have expressed disappointment with the failure to get the Financial Reconstruction Fund regulations, the free-trade-port regulations and the regulations on cross-strait exchanges passed.

  The six major financial and economic bills must now wait until the next session in September -- and until after the review of both the Council of Grand Justice nominations and the Organic Law of the Judicial Yuan (司法院組織法). Can the Cabinet resolve the problems by waiting? Will its patience pay off? Can the people put up with another three-month halt in economic policy-making at a time when the economy has been battered by the SARS epidemic and other factors? Are foreign investors willing to wait another three months -- given the likelihood of more political wrangling afterward -- in order to pursue investment here?

  Three months from now, the political atmosphere will be far more confrontational than it is now, since it will be that much closer to next year's presidential election. It is unrealistic to think the legislature will be any more willing -- or any more efficient in its workings -- to pass the bills held over from the last session.

  By paralyzing government, the legislature is trying to make the Cabinet's performance record as poor as possible. So the Cabinet might as well act tough and make a strong demand for cooperation now -- instead of blaming the opposition for its thuggish behavior later.

  The Cabinet wants an extraordinary session specifically to review the six major financial and economic bills, thereby simplifying the mission and avoiding politically sensitive bills. Priority has been given to matters viewed by Amcham and ECCT as investment obstacles. This is aimed at helping raise the nation's credit rating and boosting the economy. Consensus has been reached on only one of the six bills. The Cabinet will need to communicate more with lawmakers if it wants to get all six passed.

  To oppose is, of course, the opposition's job. However, the opposition is blocking the nation's survival path by indiscriminately jeopardizing the administration's plans. Both the ruling and opposition parties must stop their wrangling, stop acting like bratty children who don't want anyone else to play in their sandbox or use their toys. They should work for the interests of the people, instead of personal or partisan interests. This "let's all die together" kind of opposition is not in the pan-blue camp's interests -- and it is certainly not in the interests of the country.
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