The
Executive-Legislative Interaction
Lung-chu Chen
On July
4th, the Legislative Yuan began general questioning. From March 18th to
May 20th, Taiwan's political power has been transferred peacefully. But,
the political configuration under the Chen Shui-bian government differs
greatly from that under the KMT rule. Party rotation a la a government of
all the people poses a new challenge. The ruling and opposition parties of
yesterday have reversed their roles today. It takes time and wisdom to
adjust to the new situation.
In the era of the KMT rule, legislative proposals of the Executive Yuan
were backed by the KMT caucus and machine. Today, while the DPP is
nominally the ruling party, the KMT controls a majority in the
legislature, plus the newly formed People First Party. As the DPP
possesses less than a third of the legislative seats, it cannot direct the
passage of bills. On such bills as reducing weekly working hours and
national pension, the KMT has outdone the DPP in being overgenerous,
without concern for total financial implications. There is a real danger
that the Executive Yuan may become the "executive bureau" of the
Legislative Yuan.
Party rotation is a fact of life in a democracy, but this is the first
time in Taiwan's history. A government of all the people, plus the highly
controversial constitutional system of "two executive chiefs," has posed
an unprecedented challenge to the new administration. People in different
walks of life have made different demands and entertained different
expectations, while congress is full of emotional posturing of raw
political power, and the new administration is having a really hard time.
The national interest should be placed above the party interest and the
individual interest. At this juncture of new experimentation and
transition in Taiwan's democracy, political parties should act
responsibly, and interact rationally. It is unrealistic and unfair to
expect the new administration to offer instant solutions to many of the
tough problems that have accumulated over many years. The new governmental
team needs time to study and plan, to decide priorities, and to act
accordingly. The government of all the people, led by the DPP, is
concerned with the interest of all the people, rather than that of a
particular party or ethnic group. It is essential that people understand
each other, show their care and tolerance, and seek progress in the
process of interaction, learning, and adjustment. |