《TAIPEI TIMES》 Bar association urges legislators to follow norms

By Wang Ting-chuan and Jason Pan / Staff reporters

The Taiwan Bar Association yesterday urged legislators not to circumvent established procedures to push through legislative reforms, while condemning a massive brawl that erupted between lawmakers on Friday.

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Voting on the amendments to Article 15 of the Act Governing the Legislative Yuan’s Power （立法院職權行使法） — proposed by Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） and Taiwan People’s Party legislators — was eventually done close to midnight by a show of hands without recording the names of the voters after scuffles and procedural stalling tactics by Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） lawmakers.

The association in a statement said that one party was “wrecking the operating principles of Taiwan’s constitutional democracy” to pursue its own interests.

The actions of opposition lawmakers to push through bills that would expand legislators’ powers and authorize funding for infrastructure in the east were taken without deliberation or review in legislative committees, in an effort to go straight to voting to pass a third reading, it said.

“The bills would have a great impact on the functioning of the government and the nation’s democratic constitutional order. They would also involve planning and authorization for significant portions of the budget, and have important ramifications for all people,” the association said.

It urged lawmakers to abide by democratic principles and follow legislative procedures, to ensure that bills receive legitimate scrutiny.

In addressing significant amendments and bills for major public infrastructure projects, the legislature must confer with all members for deliberation and receive feedback through established procedures before voting, it said.

The proposed bills would make “contempt of legislature” a punishable offense, while seeking more than NT$2 trillion （US$62.1 billion） for highway and high-speed rail projects.

The Legislative Yuan did not exercises its mandated functions in ensuring that the bills followed legislative procedures, and it had contravened those rules by voting using a show of hands, the association said.

KMT spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu （楊智?） said that a vote by a show of hands conforms to Article 35 of the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Yuan （立法院議事規則）.

The bills had gone through three public hearings and a presentation at a dedicated meeting, Yan said.

She said that DPP lawmakers had disrupted procedure by raising 40 motions to adjourn, when the bills underwent a clause-by-clause review at legislative committee meetings.

“We request that when speaking on these issues, the Taiwan Bar Association base their comments on facts,” she said, adding that association chairwoman Yu Mei-nu （尤美女）, a lawyer and former DPP legislator, has political leanings on the issue.

“We ask Yu not to have double standards, and to remember the need to reform the Legislative Yuan,” she said.

Additional reporting by Lin Hsin-han

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES