Broadcasting Corp of China chairman Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) yesterday said that if he is elected president, he would push for a parliamentary system of government in his first year in office.
Jaw, a former lawmaker who in 1993 left the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) with several other members to form the New Party, rejoined the KMT earlier this month and has said that he plans to seek the party’s nomination to run in the 2024 presidential election.
At a news conference in Taipei yesterday to discuss his policy recommendations, Jaw said that oversight is the most important part of a democracy.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
“Our system is dominated by the president,” Jaw said.
The president “holds a lot of power, and there are no checks and balances,” he said.
“Although the US’ presidential system has flaws, at least the Congress and judiciary provide certain checks and balances,” he added.
Jaw listed Germany, Japan, Singapore and the UK as examples of democracies with relatively stable politics that have parliamentary systems.
He said that he is not the first person in the nation to propose a parliamentary system.
Different political parties have in the past proposed a parliamentary system while in opposition, but once they win the presidency, they “forget,” Jaw said.
“[President] Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has three years left in office and cannot be re-elected. Why not push for a parliamentary system in that time?” Jaw asked, adding that it would help Tsai leave behind a good legacy.
Describing the parliamentary system as more inclusive, Jaw said that the “winner-takes-all” approach of the presidential system is unfair.
He said he hopes that Tsai would push for the implementation of a parliamentary system, but if she does not, he would promote a parliamentary system in his first year in office should he be elected president.
Jaw said that he also supports introducing absentee voting and giving 18-year-olds full voting rights, calling both “mainstream” policies globally.
He disclosed his proposal for a parliamentary system yesterday because proposals for constitutional amendments are set to be debated at the Legislative Yuan, Jaw said.
However, he later plans to speak on other issues, including cross-strait relations, Jaw added.
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