Under the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) self-imposed “two-year clause,” in which at-large legislators are required to resign halfway into their four-year term to make way for candidates next on the party list, six legislators are to step down from their positions today.
The measure was designed to cultivate talent and give more party members legislative experience. In practice, the arrangement has meant that legislators are able to justify a complete abdication of responsibility in the final stage of their tenure.
The TPP’s first dereliction of duty was the mockery made of their budgetary oversight authority. Given their two-year term, at-large TPP legislators reviewed the central government’s annual budget just twice. First, for last year’s budget, they forced through frenzied and indiscriminate cuts that triggered widespread public backlash. This time, for this year’s budget, they simply blocked the review process altogether. The budget should have been completed and approved by the end of last year, but it has yet to be submitted for committee review. In effect, these opportunities for meaningful oversight have been squandered. This is not prudence; it is abandonment.
The second failure is the TPP’s total evasion of responsibility over the special national defense budget. The NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.7 billion) special defense bill concerns Taiwan’s defensive capacity and strategic posture in response to the China threat over the next eight years. This is not a short-term political jostle, but an abuse of review power with long-term national security implications. Despite legislators having ample time to dissect and understand the proposal, they consistently refused to advance substantial deliberation. They have given up what could have been a critical role with lasting historical impact, and allowed national interests to become casualties of their own political calculations.
Third is in the degradation of the TPP’s own institutions. The two-year clause was originally well-intentioned, meant to prevent at-large legislators from monopolizing their seats. Yet it has become a shield for evading accountability toward the end of a legislator’s tenure, leaving their successors to deal with the consequences. The public, with no recourse to recall or punish them, must simply watch as they let their legislative authority go to waste.
A blunt Taiwanese vulgarity captures something of the public mood: “When one who urinates leaves, another who defecates will soon arrive.”
This sense of futility, despair at the situation, and knowing that things might only deteriorate further, is at the heart of frustrations.
These derelictions must not be forgotten. If nothing else, the public should remember this lesson: When at-large legislators are enabled to do nothing in the final phase of their term without an ounce of consequence, the problem is no longer just about individual misconduct. It is about institutional failures.
Shih Wen-yi is a former deputy director-general of the Centers for Disease Control.
Translated by Gilda Knox Streader
There is a modern roadway stretching from central Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland in the Horn of Africa, to the partially recognized state’s Egal International Airport. Emblazoned on a gold plaque marking the road’s inauguration in July last year, just below the flags of Somaliland and the Republic of China (ROC), is the road’s official name: “Taiwan Avenue.” The first phase of construction of the upgraded road, with new sidewalks and a modern drainage system to reduce flooding, was 70 percent funded by Taipei, which contributed US$1.85 million. That is a relatively modest sum for the effect on international perception, and
At the end of last year, a diplomatic development with consequences reaching well beyond the regional level emerged. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as a sovereign state, paving the way for political, economic and strategic cooperation with the African nation. The diplomatic breakthrough yields, above all, substantial and tangible benefits for the two countries, enhancing Somaliland’s international posture, with a state prepared to champion its bid for broader legitimacy. With Israel’s support, Somaliland might also benefit from the expertise of Israeli companies in fields such as mineral exploration and water management, as underscored by Israeli Minister of
When former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) first took office in 2016, she set ambitious goals for remaking the energy mix in Taiwan. At the core of this effort was a significant expansion of the percentage of renewable energy generated to keep pace with growing domestic and global demands to reduce emissions. This effort met with broad bipartisan support as all three major parties placed expanding renewable energy at the center of their energy platforms. However, over the past several years partisanship has become a major headwind in realizing a set of energy goals that all three parties profess to want. Tsai
On Sunday, elite free solo climber Alex Honnold — famous worldwide for scaling sheer rock faces without ropes — climbed Taipei 101, once the world’s tallest building and still the most recognizable symbol of Taiwan’s modern identity. Widespread media coverage not only promoted Taiwan, but also saw the Republic of China (ROC) flag fluttering beside the building, breaking through China’s political constraints on Taiwan. That visual impact did not happen by accident. Credit belongs to Taipei 101 chairwoman Janet Chia (賈永婕), who reportedly took the extra step of replacing surrounding flags with the ROC flag ahead of the climb. Just
RSS