國會擴權會有後果 Legislature power grab would have consequences EuroView 20240410 / Taimocracy翻譯

國會擴權會有後果　Legislature power grab would have consequences    EuroView 20240410

The pan-Blue camp is calling for increased powers for the legislature. Besides facing a constitutional challenge, its proposals, if adopted, may reduce executive efficiency and judicial oversight and ultimately prove short-sighted.  泛藍陣營呼籲增加立法機關的權力。除了面臨憲法挑戰外，其提案如果獲得通過，可能會降低行政效率和司法監督，並最終被證明是短視的。

 

The Kuomintang (KMT) has embraced calls for wide-sweeping changes to Taiwan’s governmental balance of powers of late, with a number of proposals advanced by the KMT legislative caucus to strengthen the powers that legislators have. 國民黨（KMT）最近接受了對台灣政府權力平衡進行全面改革的呼籲，國民黨立法核心小組提出了一些建議，以加強立法者的權力。

 

In particular, the KMT hopes for legislators to be granted the powers to summon and question government officials, members of the military, police, and legal entities. Those who refuse to comply with questioning would face fines of up to NT$300,000 for contempt of the legislature. This would also allow legislators to conduct investigations of these individuals or groups. 特別是，國民黨希望賦予立委傳喚和訊問政府官員、軍人、員警和法人的權力。拒絕接受訊問者，將因藐視立法機關而面臨最高新台幣30萬元的罰款。這也將允許立法者對這些個人或團體進行調查。

 

Why the proposal?  草案內容

Since the start of the current legislation session, the first major conflict between the KMT and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) involved the KMT calling for Premier Chen Chien-jen to the legislature for questioning over a number of food adulteration scandals that Taiwan has seen in past months. This was originally over the detection of the chemical cimbuterol in pork products from the Taiwan Sugar Corporation.  自本屆立法會開始以來，KMT與民進黨（DPP）之間的第一次重大衝突是KMT要求行政院長陳建仁到立法機構就台灣過去幾個月發生的一系列食品摻假醜聞進行質詢。這原本是因為台糖公司在豬肉產品中檢測出化學cimbuterol（西布特羅）。

When Chen did eventually make this report, this only took place after a period of back-and-forth between the KMT and DPP about whether he would appear. The KMT then boycotted Chen’s appearance at the legislature.  當陳建仁最終上台報告，只是在KMT和DPP間就他是否會上台進行了一段時間的反覆討論後發生的。KMT隨後抵制陳建仁出席立法院。

 

Likewise, during a subsequent question-and-answer session in March, DPP legislators criticized KMT Legislative Yuan president Han Kuo-yu for cutting short the time that would have been given to DPP legislators to question Chen. Indeed, the DPP was likely aiming to try and undercut the KMT’s claims to be pursuing transparent governance in calling for Chen’s questioning, in suggesting that the KMT had no interest in allowing the DPP to question a politician of their own political camp.  同樣，在隨後3月份的質詢中，DPP立委批評KMT立法院院長韓國瑜縮短了DPP立委質詢陳建仁的時間。DPP可能意圖削弱KMT在呼籲傳喚陳建仁時所聲稱的追求透明治理的主張，暗示KMT並不願意讓DPP質詢他們自己政治陣營的政治人物。

 

The KMT likely hoped to make the legislative interrogation of Chen into a major public scandal that it could leverage on, especially in light of how issues of food safety have long been sensitive for the Taiwanese public. This may be what the KMT hopes to accomplish through powers to summon government officials from the Tsai administration and the incoming Lai administration for questioning. This would be in the hopes of making such questioning into political theatre that the KMT could leverage on.  KMT可能希望將對陳建仁的立法質詢變成一個可以利用的重大公共醜聞，特別是考慮到食品安全問題長期以來一直對台灣公眾敏感。這或許正是KMT希望通過權力傳喚蔡英文政府和即將上任的賴清德政府的政府官員接受訊問的目的。這是希望將這種質疑變成KMT可以利用的政治舞台。

 

Calls by the KMT to revive the Special Investigation Division  KMT呼籲恢復特偵組

The KMT’s recent proposals aimed at expanding legislative power–of which there have been seventeen to date–come out of a number of preceding moves by the party. Indeed, in the past months since the start of the legislative session, the KMT has also called for reviving the Special Investigative Division (SID) of the Ministry of Justice.  KMT最近提出的意在擴大立法權的提案——迄今為止已經有17項提案——來自該黨之前的一系列舉措。事實上，自立法院開議以來幾個月內，KMT也呼籲恢復特偵組（SID）。

The SID was historically used to carry out investigations into political corruption. However, this has proved controversial, in that the SID was used to specifically investigate DPP politicians in the past. This included corruption charges against former president Chen Shui-bian, the first DPP president in Taiwanese history who was jailed after the end of his presidential term.  SID歷來被用來對政治腐敗進行調查。然而，這被證明是有爭議的，因為SID過去曾被用來專門調查DPP政客。這包括對前總統陳水扁的腐敗指控，陳水扁是台灣歷史上第一位在總統任期結束後被判入獄的DPP總統。

 

Likewise, in September 2013, Ker Chien-ming of the DPP was wiretapped by the SID over communications with then-majority speaker Wang Jin-pyng of the KMT at a time when President Ma Ying-jeou was hoping to push Wang out of the party. This was seen as an instance in which Ma sought to crack down on opposing views from within his own party, seeing as Wang was considered the leader of the comparatively pro-localization faction of the KMT, and willing to use the police to target members of opposing political parties. At the time, ironically enough, the KMT was accused of using its control over executive power to trample over the legislature.  同樣的，2013年9月，DPP的柯建明在與當時的KMT多數議長王金平的通信中被特偵組監聽，當時總統馬英九希望將王金平趕出黨。這被視為馬試圖鎮壓自己黨內的反對意見的一個例子，因為王被認為是KMT相對親地方化的派系的領導人，並願意利用員警來針對反對派政黨的成員。具有諷刺意味的是，當時KMT被指控利用其對行政權力的控制來踐踏立法機構。

 

Such controversies led President Tsai Ing-wen to dissolve the SID after taking office. Yet the KMT currently calls for the reinstatement of the SID, but importantly its subordination to the authority of the Legislative Yuan. The proposal to expand the powers of the legislature proves similar, then, in effectively giving legislators the powers that prosecutors currently possess to carry out investigations.  這些爭議導致蔡英文總統上任後解散了特偵組。然而，KMT目前要求恢復特偵組，但重要的是要它從屬於立法院的權威。因此，擴大立法機關權力的提議被證明是類似的，它有效地賦予了立法委員擁有目前檢察官進行調查的權力。

 

Calls by the pan-Blue camp to shift to a cabinet-style system  泛藍陣營呼籲轉向內閣式治理體系

At the same time, these proposals also take place after calls embraced by the pan-Blue camp to embrace a cabinet-style system of governance in which appointments of government ministers would have to be approved by the legislature and the legislature would have expanded powers to question the premier.  此時，這些提議也是在泛藍陣營接受內閣制的呼籲後提出的，在內閣制體系中，政府部長的任命必須得到立法機關的批准，立法機關將擴大質詢總理的權力。

 

The idea was introduced late into the election cycle by Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who may have been aiming to have a distinctive programme of reform for his campaign. Still, the idea was embraced by the KMT as part of its efforts to negotiate Ko into a political alliance that would entail a joint presidential ticket.  這個想法是由台灣民眾黨（TPP）的柯文哲在選舉活動後期提出的，他可能是想為他的競選活動推出一個獨特的改革計劃。儘管如此，KMT關於擴大立法院權力的提議，只是對當前泛藍陣營在立法會中以微弱優勢超過泛綠陣營的3個席位的短期適應。

 

The vagueness of the proposal was then criticized by the DPP, seeing as a cabinet-style system in some countries means that direct presidential elections do not take place and the president is chosen by the legislature. Yet the pan-Blue camp as a whole may have been aiming to strengthen legislative power in recognition that the pan-Blue camp would not likely win the presidency, but would continue to be able to run viable legislative campaigns.  該提案的含糊不清隨後受到DPP的批評，因為一些國家的內閣式制度意味著不進行總統直接選舉，總統由立法機構選出。然而，泛藍陣營作為一個整體可能一直致力於加強立法權，因為他們認識到泛藍陣營不太可能贏得總統職位，但將繼續能夠開展可行的立法運動。

 

An adaptation to political weakness  對政治軟弱的適應

It remains to be seen how the KMT’s proposals for legislative change will work out, then. For one, if the KMT intends to outflank the DPP through pan-Blue control of the legislature, the KMT cannot risk alienating the TPP as a political ally, since the KMT needs TPP votes to pass legislation. The TPP would likely benefit from the proposal, not only in terms of strengthening its bargaining power with the KMT, but because its own main foothold in political power would be through the legislature.   那麼，KMT的立法改革建議將如何實施還有待觀察。首先，如果KMT打算通過泛藍控制立法部門來包抄DPP，KMT就不能冒險疏遠TPP這個政治盟友，因為KMT需要TPP投票才能通過立法。TPP可能會從這個提案中受益，不僅能夠加強與KMT談判的籌碼，還因為其主要的政治力基礎在於立法部門。

 

Otherwise, the DPP has criticized the KMT’s proposals as unconstitutional, and threatening the stable operations of government. The DPP has emphasized that it will seek a constitutional interpretation over the matter, as the proposal would also reduce judicial power. It may be that the three primary branches of government will come into conflict over the proposal.  另一方面，DPP批評KMT的提議違憲，威脅到政府的穩定運行。DPP強調，它將就此事尋求憲法解釋，因為該提案也會削弱司法權。政府的三個主要部門可能會因該提案而發生衝突。

 

Still, the KMT’s proposals about expanding the powers of the Legislative Yuan are a short-term adaptation to the current circumstances where the pan-Blue camp has a narrow three-seat advantage over the pan-Green camp in the legislature. If in a future election cycle, the pan-Green camp once again gains control of the legislature, the proposal could backfire on the KMT.  儘管如此，KMT關於擴大立法院權力的提議，只是對當前泛藍陣營在立法會中以微弱優勢超過泛綠陣營的3個席位的短期適應。如果在未來的選舉中，泛綠陣營再次獲得立法會的控制權，該提案可能會適得其反。

Moreover, it seems unlikely that the proposal would improve oversight between the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government. After all, the KMT is likely to frame the DPP as corrupt on political issues. Stark partisanship between the pan-Blue and pan-Green camps has led the KMT to accuse the DPP of being linked to organized crime, telephone scam groups in past years, as well as only making certain policy decisions because of political corruption. The latter is alleged about everything from the DPP’s efforts to promote renewable energy to the development of Taiwan’s domestically manufactured vaccine, Medigen.  此外，這個提案似乎不太可能改善行政、司法與立法三權之間的監督。畢竟，KMT很可能會把DPP描繪成在政治問題上貪腐。藍綠兩陣營之間嚴重的黨派對立，導致KMT指控DPP過去與組織犯罪以及電話詐騙團夥有關聯，並且只是因為政治腐敗才做出某些政策決定。這樣的全面指控，從DPP推動再生能源，到台灣自製「高端疫苗」（Medigen）的發展，都有人提出了。

 

As such, the KMT may simply use expanded legislative powers for scorched earth tactics against the DPP, intended to prevent the DPP from getting any part of its agenda through. Ultimately, the KMT would probably be hoping to hit upon a political corruption case on such a scale as to replicate the political downfall of Chen Shui-bian, which led to the DPP’s ouster from political power in 2008 in such a manner that seemed to preclude any kind of political comeback. Hence the focus on allegations of DPP corruption and proposals to revive institutions that played a role in Chen’s downfall.  因此，KMT可以簡單地利用擴大的立法權對DPP採取焦土戰術，以阻止DPP透過其議程的任何部分。最終，KMT可能希望找到一個規模足以重現陳水扁政治倒台的政治腐敗案件，當時導致DPP在2008年從政治權力中被罷黜，而似乎排除了任何政治捲土重來的可能性。因此，在陳水扁倒台中發揮作用的機構的建議，而聚焦對DPP的腐敗指控，以及提議恢復特偵組。

 

Brian Hioe is a Taiwanese American writer, translator, and the founding editor of New Bloom

Disclaimer: Euroview articles are written by freelance contributors. The opinions expressed in these articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent those of the ECCT's members, board or secretariat.

 

4/10拜岸會於TRA的45週年，早一天4/9英美兩國外長會面。很有趣。

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