If the nation is to ratify a new constitution, it must first end any illusions about the current document’s relevance to Taiwan, an academic told a forum in Taipei yesterday.
For the constitutional revisionist movement to succeed, it needs public enthusiasm, the right timing and a clear plan of action, Chung Yuan Christian University associate professor Hsu Wei-chun (徐偉群) told attendees at the event titled “Imagining a New Constitution for a New Era,” which was organized by the National Taiwan University Graduate Student Association.
The Constitution exists under the “one China” framework and has little relevance to Taiwan, Hsu said, adding that there have been calls to rewrite it for more than 40 years, but such social movements take time.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
As a constitution is a highly political document that is deeply connected to a nation’s character, it must be considered when diagnosing political ailments and when imagining what kind of a country its people wish to have, he said.
Therefore, Taiwanese must become familiar with the Constitution, but at present, it is disconnected from people’s daily lives, he said, adding that if people truly want a new nation, drafting a new constitution is imperative.
Hsu said that reformers should focus on two key aspects: the Constitution’s “one China” framework and transforming governance.
Considering Taiwan’s precarious status, the “one China” framework is intertwined with Chinese aggression, yet has little to do with Taiwan itself, he said, adding that drafting a new Constitution could help the nation diagnose its political challenges and implement reform.
However, most important is how Taiwanese view their relationship with China, Hsu said.
For example, Hsu said that he still has students who think that the Shanxi and Yunnan provinces are part of the Republic of China, so to illustrate the problem, he asks them how the government should tackle crime in those regions.
Breaking this illusion of affiliation is difficult, but as Chinese aggression rises, so does Taiwanese consciousness, he said.
People’s lives have become more connected to this land, Hsu said, adding that he is optimistic about the future, as Taiwanese would have the chance to decide for themselves.
Hsu, who also serves on the executive committee of the Civil Alliance to Promote Constitutional Reform, has twice before participated in constitutional reform movements.
During the Sunflower movement, Hsu petitioned to convene a constitutional convention. After the 2016 presidential election, the alliance proposed four priorities for constitutional reform: lowering the voting age to 18, lowering the threshold for constitutional referendums, reforming the apportionment of legislator-at-large seats and revising the human rights clause.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS