A large number of supporters of Taiwan’s ruling party are anticipated to gather outside parliament on Friday following the advancement of a highly controversial “contempt of parliament” bill.
The opposition Kuomintang party (KMT) argues that the new law is necessary to address the power imbalance between the legislature and Taiwan’s powerful presidency.
On the other hand, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) claims it is an unconstitutional power grab aimed at retaliating against the DPP government led by President William Lai Ching-te.
The bill will grant Taiwan’s parliament more authority to question and investigate the executive branch, including the ability to summon government officials and private individuals to provide sensitive documents to lawmakers.
Additionally, it introduces a “contempt of legislature” provision which could lead to fines and imprisonment of up to one year for officials who show disrespect towards parliament. Legal scholars have criticized this clause, stating that it exceeds the norms of other democratic countries.
The ongoing protests surrounding the bill reflect a deep political divide in Taiwan between supporters of the DPP and the KMT.
The demonstrators, representing various sectors of Taiwanese society, share a strong sense of Taiwanese identity and a profound skepticism of the intentions of the opposition KMT.
Despite accusations of collusion between senior KMT leaders and Beijing, the KMT leadership has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and emphasized its historical opposition to the Chinese communist party.
“La idea completa [de la ley] es hacer que el ejecutivo sea más responsable – eso es todo.” Pero cuando el KMT controlaba la presidencia y el legislativo entre 2008 y 2016, se resistió a las demandas de la oposición de aprobar una ley muy similar – el DPP, entonces en el otro lado del pasillo, la estaba impulsando. El KMT también ha sugerido que podría comenzar a investigar a los líderes del DPP una vez que la ley entre en vigor. “Durante ocho años, el DPP tuvo una súper mayoría. Podían obtener lo que quisieran. Ejecutivo y legislativo en coalición para disfrutar de los recursos de Taiwán”, dice el Sr. Huang.