On Friday, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators denied a Cabinet request to reconsider a set of controversial bills. The amendments are set to go into effect, expanding the legislature’s power of oversight.
TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) is largely to blame for this.
In the past few days, the former Taipei mayor has been particularly anxious, following a recent poll revealing that support for the TPP has plummeted.
From an initial average of 22 to 25 percent six months before the January elections, support for the TPP has dwindled to 14.3 percent — a significant drop that has cost Ko more than 1.6 million supporters. It is evident that his chances of becoming president in 2028 are slim at best.
Ko knows full well that the party’s slide in popularity is the consequence of TPP caucus whip Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) leading the party by the nose.
The collaboration between the TPP and the KMT in the past few months has led to nothing but chaos, resulting in unconstitutional actions and the introduction of bills infringing on people’s rights.
In response, people across Taiwan, including young people and centrist voters, have joined together in protest, forming the “Bluebird movement.” They are calling for the controversial bills to be sent back for review and for KMT legislators to be removed from office.
Lawyers and legal experts have also been at the forefront of the movement. When the amendments were initially passed on May 28, more than 100 Taiwanese legal experts, alongside overseas academics and the director of the American Institute in Taiwan, signed a counterpetition calling for the bills to be sent back for review.
They say that the bills jeopardize the proper functioning of the government and compromise fundamental rights.
Ko usually has a strong sense of what is going on and an astute understanding of the political climate. Yet, by failing to push TPP legislators to vote for reconsideration, he has missed an opportunity to regain lost support.
The terms of the new parliamentary amendments are too ambiguous and ill-conceived. The bills would give legislators the authority to subpoena people at any time to be questioned. Individuals would be required to provide personal information or even business secrets, lest they wish to be fined and sent to the Judicial Yuan for further investigation and prosecution.
Ko and Huang must understand: If Huang has only managed to rack up a poor 13 percent support in a recent New Taipei City 2026 mayoral election poll, it is because of the shady nature of these bills.
In this uneasy climate, how can Huang ever expect his support to pick up? Even the KMT can no longer consider him as candidate for New Taipei City mayor.
As a man of law, Huang must cease to deny the criticism of the legal community and face the ugly truth that people no longer trust his judgement. He has made his bed and must now lie in it.
For his own part and for the sake of his political career, Ko should consider revoking Huang’s party membership. If he were to lead the seven TPP legislators to correct their course, Ko might still have a chance for a political comeback. However, after Friday morning’s debacle, hope is bleak.
Michael Lin is a retired diplomat, formerly posted in the US.
Translated by Gabrielle Killick
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