Perhaps mastery in some form of martial arts would be required for legislators in light of the inevitability of brawls in the next four years. Unfortunately, it seems like the force of a better argument alone cannot withstand the might of Muay Thai.
Twenty-first century Taiwanese politics sometimes resembles that of a primitive era. So much talk of legislative reform, yet so little has actually changed.
It has once again ended up in such physical altercations and chaos, because the hostile opposition alliance of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) insist on forcing through bills to greatly expand the power of the legislature, hoping to make the executive branch subordinate to the legislative branch.
What is especially concerning is criminalizing “contempt of the legislature,” which could easily be used to target government ministers. In rushing the bills to the floor, the lack of transparency and procedural accountability were painfully obvious. The Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee did not get to review the bills in detail.
Moreover, some revisions to the KMT-TPP bill were not accessible on the Legislative Yuan’s Web site prior to the vote, suggesting that debates on this matter were not welcomed in the first place.
The KMT complained about the tyranny of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) majority in the past eight years. Yet, it has conveniently forgotten all about this once it formed a majority with the TPP.
“We deeply regret that the DPP has not only restricted legislative powers, but also used its executive advantages to vilify and undermine the opposition’s efforts to promote transparency. The DPP has historically damaged Taiwan’s democracy and rule of law through secrecy and opaque processes,” the TPP said in a statement.
Clearly, the TPP is blinded by their hatred of the DPP to the point of following the KMT unconditionally into this predicament. TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) needs to reflect deeply — is this the “new politics” you promised to deliver to voters? Should procedural fairness be sacrificed for political expediency?
Thousands of protesters gathered outside the Legislative Yuan to demand the proceedings be declared null and void, reminiscent of the Sunflower movement.
The protesters have much to be angry about — not only are the reforms ill-conceived and malicious, but also the facetious manner in which KMT legislators have been handling this situation is infuriating.
During their occupation of the legislative chamber, KMT legislators were taking selfies while attention-craving KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) played a recorder, making a mockery of the situation.
At this point, political theater clearly has replaced quality deliberation, to the detriment of Taiwan’s democracy.
Rather than irresponsibly expanding the power of the legislature, changing our legislative culture into one that fosters deliberation and cooperation is even more crucial for elevating the status of the Legislative Yuan.
Though some politicians enjoy the spotlight of conflict, meaningful and lasting changes can only be achieved if backed by reason, not brute force.
Linus Chiou is a graduate student at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University.
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