Taiwan's Legislative Yuan last week tried out a new approach to interpellation, requiring Cabinet members to respond immediately to questions put to them by other lawmakers.
But after a few days of putting the new question and answer session into practice some political analysts, Cabinet members and lawmakers are questioning the new initiative.
They say the new system reveals lawmakers' inability to carry out effective debates about government policy and cripples the administration's operation, because members must attend three sessions at the legislature a week in a process that can last up to a month.
While impromptu question-and-answer exchanges between elected and government officials are common in county and city councils, as well as in various committees in the Legislative Yuan, this is the first time that a general interpellation session in the legislature has been carried out under the new guidelines.
According to the new system, the Premier -- or any Cabinet member -- is required to answer on the spot any question presented by a lawmaker.
Weak debates
While the old system allows the premier to appoint any Cabinet member to answer lawmakers' questions, the new initiative allows legislators to pick any Cabinet member they wish to question.
While it is generally believed that the new system could force all Cabinet members to face lawmakers' queries directly, and, hopefully, lead to fruitful policy discussions, some political analysts have their reservations.
Wang Yeh-lih (
Lee Wen-chung (李文忠), deputy convener of the DPP caucus, echoed Wang's view. "Many lawmakers simply don't have the ability to conduct effective policy debates in the legislative chamber," Lee told the Taipei Times. "And some simply use the opportunity to insult political appointees instead."
What happened at the legislative chamber last week made Lee's comment sound like prophecy. While some lawmakers grilled Cabinet members with inconsistent questions, others, such as People First Party (PFP) Lawmaker Chin Hui-chu (秦慧珠), went further in challenging Premier Tang Fei (唐飛) by making irrelevant points more suited to game shows.
For instance, Chin, the Taipei City councilor-turned lawmaker challenged Tang to identify members of his Cabinet last Friday morning by projecting their photos on a screen at the legislative chamber, a tactic copied from local entertainment TV programs.
Tang only got two answers correct and triggered a roomful of laughter at the legislature.
Although Tang seemed embarrassed at not being able to identify the photos of deputy ministers, public opinion sided with the premier last week.
In a survey conducted by TVBS on July 7, 57 percent of 1,143 respondents said they were not satisfied with the performance of lawmakers at the interpellation session, while 31 percent said they were satisfied. About 70 percent of the respondents said the premier's performance satisfied them, while only 19 percent said it didn't.
Government spokesperson Chung Chin (
"It is a pity to see that some question-and-answer sessions did not lead to effective policy debates, which should focus on the blueprints of the administration as well as the government's plans to carry out these blueprints," Chung said.
Speaking out
During interpellation last week Tang became short tempered and told New Party lawmakers, "This should be an occasion for policy discussions. So, please allow me to articulate my stance before you go on to the next question."
The lack of substantive policy debates was only one of the pitfalls in the implementation of the new interpellation procedure, said Cabinet members, lawmakers as well as political observers.
The fact all Cabinet members are required to spend at least three days a week and six hours a day at the legislature in the next three weeks could paralyze the government's operation, they said.
"Cabinet members have to stay at the legislature for at least three days a week and such a long duration may hinder the government's ability to handle administrative affairs," Chung said. To support her view, Chung quoted Simon S. Plummer, a reporter from the London's Daily Telegraph, who interviewed Chung on Friday.
"He said such a general interpellation session that lasts for about a month may hold up the business of government," she said.
DPP Lawmaker Lee Wen-chung said: "It's inefficient for Cabinet members to stay at the legislative chamber for three days a week."
Some Cabinet members even criticized the interpellation session as "boring."
But other observers remained optimistic about the new initiative, saying it may urge some lawmakers to develop specialized interests so as to challenge government officials more effectively.
"Legislators may be encouraged to develop their areas of specialty in order to enhance their ability to conduct effective policy debates in certain areas," said Hsu Yung-ming (
"But of course, whether each lawmaker is willing to make such an effort is another story," Hsu said.
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