The Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China continued to review the draft amendment to parliamentary powers today (28th), and the voices of dissatisfaction with the expansion of parliamentary powers in Taiwan have been growing louder. Following the gathering of over 100,000 people outside the Legislative Yuan and protests in 9 counties and cities recently, today saw protests in 15 counties and cities across Taiwan. In addition, 92 legal scholars signed a petition on the 27th urging the “Five Parliamentary Laws” to be sent back to the committee for further discussion.
The Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China has gone through three days and nights of intense battles on the 17th, 21st, and 24th, with the second reading passing key articles such as adding the Parliament’s investigative powers, changing personnel approval to a voting process, imposing a maximum fine of NT$200,000 (about 6,500 USD) for contempt of Parliament by the questioned, and requiring the President to answer questions immediately during the state of the nation address. Today, the remaining ten-plus articles are under further review and aimed to be passed on the third reading. The Kuomintang (KMT) caucus leader Fu Kun-chi stated on the 24th that it is possible to smoothly pass the five parliamentary reform laws on the 28th.
Today (28th), the Legislative Yuan continued to review the legislation proposed by the Kuomintang (Blue) and People’s Party (White) related to the parliamentary powers. Blue and White legislators occupied the podium after the meeting opened at 7 AM, while Democratic Progressive Party (Green) legislators all wore black clothes with “Against Behind-the-scenes Deals, Against Expansion of Powers” written on them, reminiscent of the black-clothed protesters in Hong Kong’s “Anti-Extradition” movement, resisting Communist Party infiltration. They continued with roll call votes, repeated votes, re-examining the entire case, delaying proceedings, and demanding the bills be sent back for a review.
The review of the parliamentary reform bills proposed by Blue and White in the Legislative Yuan has sparked controversy, prompting growing dissatisfaction among the people. Civil groups have called for protest actions, with the number of participants increasing over the past few days. Following the protests around the Legislative Yuan on the 17th and 21st, on the 24th, civil groups announced that up to 100,000 people gathered outside the Legislative Yuan for a protest, and people in various counties and cities across Taiwan took to the streets to voice their opposition to the amendments, and planned to protest again on the 28th.
Protesters gathered on the streets again today. The civil group’s “528 Nationwide Bluebird Action” mobilized in 15 counties and cities, including outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei (New Taipei, Keelung belong to the northern region). According to reports, the main stage in Taipei was relocated to Jinan Road, while the second stage was on Qingdao East Road. Many people showed up in raincoats early in the morning outside the Legislative Yuan, chanting slogans reiterating their opposition to backroom dealings in parliament and emphasizing that no discussion means no democracy. The organizers announced around 2:30 PM that over 8,000 people were present.
The Taiwan Civic Group has launched actions against the abuse of parliamentary powers, calling for a halt, a reconsideration, a resumption of dialogue, grassroots democracy. They pointed out that from the 17th to 24th, over 100,000 citizens gathered, making it the first time the Kuomintang and People’s Party, who attempted to challenge Taiwan’s democratic system, faced resistance. Lai Zhongqiang, convener of the Civic Links think tank, stated, “We are autonomous citizens from Taiwan, not coming because of party calls, nor leaving because of party persuasion.”
Lai Zhongqiang added that this is the fourth consecutive large gathering of the Legislative Yuan, setting a record in social movements. “Taiwan’s citizens will not allow democracy to regress, the parliament must uphold the spirit of consensus-building, allowing minority opinions to be discussed and giving the majority sufficient time and reasonable procedures for examination. We will not allow the Kuomintang and People’s Party to use ‘block projects,’ ‘keep all proposals,’ or ‘halt discussions after three minutes’ to suppress the majority, becoming the new norm in Taiwan’s democratic parliament.”
Xu Guanze, deputy secretary-general of Civic Links, mentioned that authoritarian states engage in cognitive warfare against democratic nations, making various opinions in democratic societies more extreme, leading to mistrust and the inability to dialogue, causing the loss of mutual understanding, dispute resolution, and consensus-seeking functions in democracy. “We call on all sectors to review the three-reading articles in the Legislative Yuan Gazette and earnestly communicate with dissenters. We believe that after this dialogue and communication, the reconsideration result will be different as legislators feel the will of the people. We believe in the power of Taiwanese citizens and the collective wisdom of Taiwanese society.”
39 legal scholars, including academics from National Taiwan University, National Chengchi University, National Cheng Kung University, National Chung Cheng University, National Chung Hsing University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Soochow University, Tunghai University, Feng Chia University, National Dong Hwa University, Chinese Culture University, Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages, Providence University, National Quemoy University, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, and researchers from the Academia Sinica jointly issued a statement urging the Legislative Yuan to return the five parliamentary laws to the committee for thorough discussion. The number of signatories continued to increase, with a total of 92 people signing by the evening of the 27th.
The statement pointed out that the current “Five Parliamentary Laws” being processed for the second reading by the Legislative Yuan have sparked controversy due to procedural flaws and constitutional violations. This not only led to intense protests within the parliament but also raised concerns among the public. On the 24th, civic movements nationwide demonstrated strong opposition to the rushed passage. As legal scholars, they urge the Legislative Yuan to halt the second reading of the “Five Parliamentary Laws” and return them all to the committee for thorough deliberation, incorporating opinions from relevant experts, scholars, and all sectors of society to establish a system with a high consensus and constitutional legitimacy.
The statement mentioned that our constitution does not explicitly stipulate parliamentary inquiry powers, with the main basis being Interpretations No. 325, 585, 633, and 729 by the Judicial Yuan. These interpretations clarify the meaning, content, subjects, objects, procedures, and remedies of “document inspection rights” and “parliamentary inquiry rights” under the principle of the separation of powers, delineating the constitutional limits for the Legislative Yuan to enact relevant laws.
The statement also pointed out that the revision of the Five Parliamentary Laws not only involves the division of responsibilities between the Legislative Yuan and the Executive Yuan but also significantly limits the fundamental rights of ordinary people beyond public servants. It concerns the means by which the Legislative Yuan can compel cooperation in investigations, corresponding administrative or criminal penalties, and whether individuals can refuse to attend, refuse to testify, refuse to provide information, etc. These issues involve fundamental constitutional rights of the people, including personal freedom, freedom of expression, privacy of information, property rights, etc., all of which require detailed regulations that are currently lacking in the bill.
Regarding the amended articles that have already passed the second reading in the Legislative Yuan, the statement believes that there are many doubts about their constitutionality and self-contradictions. If the rush to vote on all of them during the second reading continues without deliberation, not only will it raise many doubts about constitutionality, but it will also lead to many disputes and problems in future applications.
The statement emphasized that while the comprehensive implementation of the parliamentary questioning or investigation system is indeed a matter for the advancement of parliamentary reforms in our country, the specific legal design of democratic nations varies significantly and cannot be directly transplanted. Rushing to legislate with undue influence from foreign legal systems as a reference or without regard for the balance of powers in the constitutional system, and even excessive infringement on the basic rights of people and officials, will cause confusion in the constitutional system.
The statement also called on the Legislative Yuan, amidst this “Constitutional Moment” of Taiwan’s democratic development, not to rush into voting this week and to return the bills to the committee. They proposed that relevant bills can be thoroughly legislated after extensive participation and discussion from all sectors. If the Legislative Yuan insists on the third reading process, they will urge the Executive Yuan and the President to exercise their right of reconsideration in accordance with the constitution, sending the bills back to the Legislative Yuan for a review.
Previously, on the 18th, the Taipei Bar Association expressed concerns that the related drafts of the majority in the Legislative Yuan were not substantively discussed, depriving the people of the opportunity to participate in discussions on important issues and violating procedural justice. The legislative procedures undermine the fundamental principles of a democratic country, leading to high levels of concern from the association. On the same day, the Taiwan Bar Association issued a statement emphasizing the mission of protecting human rights, achieving social justice, and promoting democratic rule of law, urging legislators to engage in substantive discussions and review without damaging democratic constitutional operations based on party interest.
The Judicial Reform Foundation of Taiwan (JRF) stated on the 24th that upon reviewing the versions proposed by both the Blue and White camps, there were many violations of legal principles and even constitutional doubts. They called for the immediate halt of the Legislative Yuan’s review and voting on the bills.
Former AIT Director William Stanton, Tsai Sutai, and 30 international scholars and advocates jointly released a statement in The Diplomat on the 20th expressing concerns that the Blue and White parliamentary reform versions go beyond the scope of constitutional democracies, undermining the rule of law and parliamentary procedures, expressing concerns and worries.
Adam King, Director of East Asia and Pacific Research at the International Republican Institute, and Daniel Twining, Chairman of the think tank, jointly published an article in The Diplomat on the 26th. They highlighted that the new Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te does not require these laws to be passed through undemocratic means as they relate to creating convenience for the Communist Party. “Beijing may become the winner if Taipei hastily passes these laws.”
Earlier, Chinese exiled writer Yuan Hongbing revealed in February that Xi Jinping, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, was attempting to destabilize Taiwan using the opposition parties in the Legislative Yuan. There is a document titled “Strategic Points of United Front Warfare to Occupy the Heights of the Taiwan Legislative Yuan,” which has been distributed to the leading cadres of the United Front departments, CPPCC, and local Taiwan Affairs Offices in various provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions of the Communist Party. Yuan Hongbing’s disclosure attracted media attention amid the current debate over the forced passage of the Parliamentary Empowerment Bill in the Legislative Yuan.
Akio Yaita, chief of the Taipei bureau of Japan’s Sankei Shimbun, posted on Facebook on the 22nd evening, stating, “In the past few days, the chaos in the Legislative Yuan has forced tens of thousands of people to take to the streets to protest. Many people have begun to realize that my good friend, the writer Yuan Hongbing, who is residing in Australia, revealed the Communist Party’s united front battle plans as early as February this year. It seems to be true now…”
Lai Rongwei, executive director of the Taiwan Inspiration Association (TIA), expressed to Epoch Times that the rush by Blue and White legislators to pass the Legislative Yuan’s powers act and other drafts to the third reading, is there such a hurry to pass them? He questioned why Kuomintang Legislative Yuan caucus leader Fu Kun-chi, along with 17 KMT legislators, made a series of proactive moves in the parliament after returning from a visit to mainland China on April 26. Are legislators normally this active in questioning in the Legislative Yuan? Passing the reform bill by Blue and White legislators will restrict the executive power, causing chaos in Taiwan and providing an opportunity for the Communist Party.
(Word count: 1661)