Taipei, 28 May 2024, (GNP): Taiwan’s legislature, controlled by the opposition, has passed legislative changes that have sparked significant controversy and large protests.
These changes are seen as advantageous to China and reduce the authority of President William Lai Ching-te and his pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government.
The reforms, advanced by the opposition nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party, grant lawmakers the authority to require the president to provide regular reports to parliament and answer questions. The legislation also criminalizes contempt of parliament by government officials.
Additionally, the bill increases legislative control over budgets, including defense spending. The legislature can also compel the military, private companies, or individuals to disclose information deemed relevant by parliamentarians.
The nationalist opposition parties support reunification with China, from which Taiwan separated during a civil war in 1949. They gained control of the legislature with a single-seat majority after the January elections, while the presidency went to William Lai.
Rubbish bags and paper planes
Thousands of people gathered outside the legislature to protest the changes. Inside the legislative chamber, banners supporting both sides of the dispute were displayed, and the floor debates erupted into shouting and pushing matches.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators accused members of the Kuomintang (KMT) and the minority Taiwan People’s Party of undermining Taiwan’s democracy by expanding the legislature’s oversight of the executive branch.
The DPP claims the reforms were pushed through without proper consultation and argue that the content is either vague or an overreach of legislative power.
Lawmakers from the governing party threw rubbish bags and paper planes at their opposition counterparts as the vote on the bill was being passed.
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“You can seize parliament, but you cannot seize public opinion,” DPP parliament leader Ker Chien-ming said in an address to the chamber, adding that Beijing had influenced Taiwanese politics.
Opposition lawmakers, holding sun-shaped balloons, shouted, “Let sunlight into parliament.”
China sends planes and ships near Taiwan daily in a campaign aimed at wearing down Taiwanese opposition to unification and weakening its defenses, which are strongly supported by the United States despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties.
On Tuesday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported detecting three Chinese warplanes and 11 naval and coastguard ships in the past 24 hours, a decrease from the 21 aircraft and 15 ships reported on Monday.
