Political responsibility
The Executive Yuan on Thursday last week sent amendments to the Act Governing the Legislative Yuan’s Power (立法院職權行使法) and revisions of the Criminal Code back to lawmakers for reconsideration. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) responded by asking if Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) would step down should the request for reconsideration fail.
I believe Cho would have been prepared to accept the possible outcome of resignation, but I cannot help but ask, would legislators in the blue and white camp have been prepared to accept the implications of their actions?
Taiwan is governed by the rule of law. Politicians need not resort to confrontational methods. So long as issues are handled according to the law, it does not matter who can shout the loudest. Moreover, as stipulated by Article 3 Clause 2 Section 2 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China, “Should the Executive Yuan deem a statutory, budgetary, or treaty bill passed by the Legislative Yuan difficult to execute, the Executive Yuan may, with the approval of the president of the Republic and within 10 days of the bill’s submission to the Executive Yuan, request the Legislative Yuan to reconsider the bill.”
Of course, the legislature could also cite Section 3 to propose a no-confidence vote against the premier. If the no-confidence vote were to pass, the premier would be required to tender his resignation within 10 days and simultaneously request for the president to dissolve the Legislative Yuan.
In politics, duty must not be neglected. The manner and behavior of politicians and the policies they adopt should originate from a sense of duty to the public.
The Executive Yuan’s actions exhibit the government’s firm conviction and feeling of duty in its approach to policy. Even in the wake of criticism and pressure from all sides, they have upheld their position and courageously bore their responsibility.
If the reform bill passed by the legislators of the blue and white camps is truly a step in the right direction, should they not also have the courage to bear political responsibility and face the possibility of dissolution and a new election?
Hsieh Chih-chieh
Taipei
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