Sat, Aug 27, 2016 page3

• Tsai needs power to push policies: democracy group

  ‘DAZE’: The nation’s administrative system grants the president power, but not the authority to implement policies, Taiwan Democracy Watch’s president said

  • By Sean Lin / Staff reporter
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  Taiwan Democracy Watch yesterday called for amending the Constitution to allow President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to directly shape and answer for her policies, amid declining approval ratings for Tsai.

  “Tsai wants to get to work, but cannot find a way to do so,” the organization’s president Chen Chao-ju (陳昭如) told a news conference in Taipei that was held to review Tsai’s performance in her first 100 days in office since assuming the presidency on May 20.

  As the nation’s administrative system grants Tsai power, but not the authority to implement policies, she had been stuck in a “constitutional daze,” in which she often has to resort to unconventional means to push policies, Chen said.

  

  From left, National Taiwan University (NTU) professor Liu Ching-yi, Academia Sinica associate research professor Chiou Wen-tsong, NTU law professor Chen Chao-ju and former Democratic Progressive Party legislator Lin Cho-shui yesterday in Taipei comment on the government’s performance since it took office on May 20.

  Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times

  For example, Tsai gave the Executive Yuan instructions to establish a committee to promote transitional justice for Aborigines under the Council of Indigenous Peoples, Chen said, adding that Tsai has also reportedly berated Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers, mayors and commissioners at the party’s Central Standing Committee meeting; invited Cabinet members to her residency for meetings; and held private “lunchbox meetings” with DPP lawmakers at the Presidential Office.

  Citing Tsai’s apparent affinity to assemble a Cabinet featuring “old ‘blue’ men” and her controversial nomination of Hsieh Wen-ting (謝文定) as Judicial Yuan president last month, Chen criticized Tsai for “thinking that it would be okay if she botched something up.”

  Hsieh, a former prosecutor, withdrew his nomination amid criticism about his controversial role in investigating several major cases during the nation’s authoritarian era.

  Tsai’s performance in office has also suffered from her penchant for creating “plug-in” units, such as the pension reform committee, the Aboriginal historic and transitional justice committee and the planned truth and reconciliation committee, which suggests that Tsai has an over-reliance on meetings when governing the nation, Chen said.

  Tsai has yet to show the public what her core values are, said Liu Ching-yi (劉靜怡), National Taiwan University professor and a director at the organization.

  Citing as an example Tsai’s remark that she supports same-sex marriage, Liu said that Tsai has not made any efforts on that front since she assumed office.

  The nation’s administrative system leaves the public wondering if Tsai still believes in the DPP’s core values, Liu said, citing as an example the government’s attempt to cancel seven national holidays, which contradicts the DPP’s value to protect workers’ interests.

  “Tsai is trying to please everyone by seeking the greatest common interest for all parties, which is impossible if she wants to be true to her own values,” she said, adding that this mindset has prompted the public to criticize Tsai for taking “hairpin turns” in her policy directions.

  Former DPP legislator Lin Cho-shui (林濁水) echoed the organization’s call for constitutional reform, saying that the administrative system prevents the president from intervening in policy implementation.

  As a result, Tsai can only meet with one or two ministers at a time at “lunchbox meetings,” which are only held once or twice a month, he said.

  As many policies require intergovernmental efforts, this has led to poor cohesion among agencies, he said.
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