Taiwan Government to reject controversial bill passed by Opposition, chaos ensues. 

On Tuesday, the opposition parties in Taiwan passed parliamentary reforms by a majority, owing to lack of numbers within the ruling party to block the same. The opposition parties, namely the nationalist KMT (Kuomintang) and the smaller TPP (Taiwan People’s Party) have been pushing this bill ever since William Lai Ching-te, of the ruling party DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) took over presidency last week. Taiwan’s cabinet has been reported to state that it would reject the bill and send it back to the parliament for review, as it was ‘duty bound’ to do so. 

Over the past week, there have been multiple peaceful protests that have erupted owing to the opposition’s continuous pushing of the new bill, with pro-China accusations being at the forefront of criticism faced by the makers of the proposed reforms. These protests have entailed participation at a mass scale, the largest witnessed since the 2014 Sunflower Movement. The disagreements between the opposition and ruling party led to a heated brawl on Friday, which escalated into a mass physical altercation among members of all three parties, leaving some injured. 

The Opposition Bill – What it Entails 

The reform bills that were drafted by the KMT and its ally, the TPP, included several amendments that touched on the duties of the President, attempts to enhance the investigative powers of the legislature, and the definition of “contempt of legislature” including its penalization. 

In accordance with the bill, the President would have to make an annual state of the nation address, changing the current wording that makes this address optional. Furthermore, the President would also be questioned by lawmakers on the spot, revising the current stipulation that allows them to answer these questions at a later time period. The DPP argues that “a question-and-answer session with the president would be unconstitutional.”

Another bill that has sparked controversy is one that extends the current law, which provides lawmakers with the “right to access official documents” , by granting them “investigative rights” that convenes investigatory committees and hearings that can summon those involved. The scope of those that can be summoned now includes private entities also. Those that fail to adhere to the Legislature’s demands for investigation would be fined and dealt with by prosecutors. 

To provide further support to the bill, there have been amendments proposed to include a new chapter to the Criminal Code titled “contempt of Legislature”, which includes criminal penalties for such offenses. 

Reactions to the Bill in Taiwan

The Bill has been met with massive criticism from the public, with thousands of people gathering outside the public to protest these changes. While proponents of the bill argue that similar proposals have been initiated by the DPP when they had a legislative majority, critics claim that the bill proposed by the opposition goes beyond DPP’s attempts, particularly citing the new criminalization of “contempt of legislature”.

They say that the law can easily be misused by members of the opposition to target political opponents, and ultimately disrupt the functioning of the DPP administration. Critics also claim that the penalization for or “reverse-questioning”, which are essentially false statements, is undefined and would most likely disrupt free speech. DPP legislators accuse KMT and TPP of tampering with Taiwan’s democracy by expanding the legislature’s superintendence over the executive, and of trying to forcibly pass a bill without adequate time for policy deliberation.

 Pro-China Accusations 

The main criticism however, are the pro-China undertones that many believe this bill entails. The KMT and its allies officially backs unification with China, which Taiwan had separated from following a civil war in 1949. “You can seize parliament but you cannot seize public opinion,” says DPP parliament leader Ker Chien-ming in an address to the chamber, while adding that China has influenced Taiwanese politics. The KMT however, has refuted these accusations, claiming that the ruling party is merely attempting to prevent investigation into corrupt practices by sowing unfounding fears regarding the bill. 

While the KMT denies being influenced by Beijing, several senior KMT officials have visited China this year, in an effort to keep ‘communication lines open’. 

China openly opposes the ruling party, and its championing of Taiwanese sovereignty. China sends planes and ships near Taiwan in order to increase pressure on the country, aimed at wearing down Taiwan’s opposition to unification and the deterioration of its defenses.