Turn a Constitutional Crisis into an Opportunity Lung-chu Chen Taiwan's Council of Grand Justices the other day issued its Interpretation No. 499, declaring invalid a constitutional amendment that was designed to extend the current term of the deputies of the National Assembly for more than two years beyond the original expiration date, May 20, 2000. The Council did so on the grounds that there were apparent defects both in procedure and substance inherent in the amendment. The reactions to the ruling have been swift and varied. As a
consequence of the ruling, Taiwan is now confronted with two major
options: either to hold an immediate election for all deputies of the
Assembly on the heels of an extremely exhausting presidential election; or
to petition the President to hold a special Assembly session in order to
deal with the matter. It has been the consensus of the people of Taiwan to abolish the unpopular National Assembly and to establish a unicameral Congress. To this end, related measures should of course be considered. In fact, the matter of congressional reform has been fairly well studied and considered in recent years. It is a serious matter, which can be effectively tackled with concerted effort. Where there
is a will, there is a way. It is a serious test for all the people of
Taiwan whether they can turn a constitutional crisis into an opportunity.
It is, above all, a challenge to all the deputies of the Assembly who are
officially entrusted with the power and the responsibility to amend he
Constitution. |