Taiwanese youth rally against lawmakers promoting closer China connections aiming to increase surveillance of the president.
The protests signify a turbulent opening to Lai Ching-te's presidency, who officially began his term on Monday after victoriously attaining a third consecutive role for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), an organization that advocates for Taiwan's independence and despised by China.
Simultaneously, they depict the daunting hurdles Lai's nascent administration encounters given its absence of a parliamentary majority, now managed by the Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP).
Protesters embittered by these parties' expeditious promotion of a bill in the legislature, which would oversee heightened control over the government's executive branch, took to the streets.
Certain demonstrators wielded sunflowers, in homage to the student-led movement in 2014 that saw innumerable students encamp in the legislature for weeks in protest against the KMT's fiercely controversial trade agreement with China. These demonstrations played a vital role two years later in the demise of the KMT, which still hasn't been able to reclaim the presidency.
As per the proposed legislation, officials, even the president, could be fined or imprisoned under an ambiguously phrased new criminal offense of "contempt of parliament" if discovered making false statements to the legislature. They may also endure punishment if they withhold information during hearings or deny answering questions or providing papers.
Critics assert the measures could instigate officials to divulge delicate information to parliament – such as data pertaining to diplomacy and defense – or face criminal penalties. They speculate this could possibly compromise the island's security.
The DPP, meanwhile, casts the opposition as endeavoring to expedite the bill's progression in the legislature without allotting an ample period for policy deliberations.
On the contrary, the KMT and TPP assert the new laws are necessary to augment government accountability and tackle corruption, citing comparable checks and balances on executive powers instilled across the world. Furthermore, they admonished the DPP for propagating falsehoods and impeding the legislature.
The latest political rift even erupted on the parliament floor last Friday, resulting in a fracas that compelled several lawmakers to scale tables and restrain their peers, with a handful of individuals hospitalized.
Following the parliament's resumption on Tuesday to address the contentious bill, protesters congregated outside the Legislative Yuan – Taiwan's unicameral parliament – from dawn to dusk, enduring rain showers in the afternoon. Attendees affirmed that more than 30,000 people participated.
Some hoisted signs designating the legislative procedures as a "black box," while others clamored for the bill's revocation. Others yelled, "No debates, no democracy!"
Ricky Li, a 28-year-old office employee, expressed his anxiety over the law's vagueness and paucity of consultation.
"I'm anxious that it will provide legislators the freedom to inflict vengeance on their political adversaries... If the bill moves forward without undergoing due consideration and transparency, it could foster avenues for misuse of power," Li surmised.
"Given the existing geopolitical landscape and the newly installed government, the opposition's attempt to assail Taiwan's democratic establishments and foundations necessitate our vigilance."
Set to resume on Friday, conversations regarding the debatable bill in the legislature.
Lai, 64, a former physician and vice president, inaugurated on Monday alongside Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan's recent ambassador to the United States.
Ideologically antipodal to Beijing, both the DPP leaders and their party encounter hostility from China's Communist Party. The authoritarian regime argues the self-governing democracy is a part of its territory, yet has never controlled it, and has vowed to seize the island through brute force if need be.
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The protests in Taiwan are not limited to domestic issues, as they also reflect the broader tension between Taiwan and its neighboring region, specifically China, which strongly opposes Taiwan's independence movement.
Given the geopolitical context, many Asian countries, including those in Asia, are closely watching the developments in Taiwan, as the outcome could have significant implications for regional stability and international relations.
Source: edition.cnn.com
