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EDITORIAL: An apology
required from premier
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has used his powers as chairman of the Chinese
Nationalist Party (KMT) and as president to pick a political fight with
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平). Despite Ma’s apparent position of
power, he has lost the fight, and Wang has managed to retain his KMT membership,
his legislator-at-large seat and his speakership.
Ma has claimed the moral high ground by opposing what he says was improper
lobbying by Wang, but both the media and the public have opposed the president,
pushing his approval rating down to an unprecedented 9.2 percent. This is a
great setback for Ma, but it is even more embarrassing for Premier Jiang Yi-huah
(江宜樺).
When Jiang was to present a report to the legislature on the opening day of the
current legislative session, he had to spend the entire day facing a barrage of
criticism and ridicule. The reason for this was Jiang’s earlier statement that
he was “prepared to face a legislature without Wang.”
Opposition legislators accused Jiang of being involved in the ongoing political
struggle and violating the constitutional system, and demanded that he step
down. “The legislature is prepared to face a Cabinet without Jiang Yi-huah,”
they said.
Jiang has played a supporting role in the political infighting. He has showed up
at every major event, but has never had a chance to say much.
The Cabinet is the supervising authority of the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme
Prosecutors’ Office and the prosecutor-general, but Prosecutor-General Huang
Shih-ming (黃世銘) bypassed the Cabinet and reported the alleged improper lobbying
to Ma, completely ignoring the premier.
Seeing that Wang was about to be forced out, Jiang drew strong criticism by
making a statement in support of Ma. From a constitutional perspective, the
legislature is expected to monitor the Cabinet. It is extremely inappropriate
for the Cabinet to try to direct the legislature’s operations. Legislators were
right to attack Jiang because of his remarks.
Jiang has refused to admit his constant mistakes and instead blamed them on the
media. Angered media outlets have repeatedly printed and broadcast his
statement, while Internet users have said that the premier’s comments and
actions are unworthy of a political scientist and that he is not worthy of
returning to academia as a lecturer.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus set five conditions
for allowing Jiang to take the podium: an apology, halting the impending
electricity price increases, the abolishment of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office
Special Investigation Division (SID), the removal of Huang from his post as
prosecutor-general and a halt on construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant
in Gongliao District (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市).
These demands were designed to make Jiang look bad, because although the Supreme
Prosecutors’ Office falls under the ministry, the president, not the premier,
appoints the prosecutor-general, with the legislature’s approval. The
electricity price increases, nuclear power plant and SID demands could all be
handled by the legislature without Jiang’s agreement.
Despite all this, the most important thing is that government operations return
to normal. The current situation must not be allowed to drag on, causing social
division and weighing down the economy. While Ma and Wang continue with their
lawsuits, government policy implementation should return to normal.
Jiang’s statement was inappropriate. The legislature does not fall under the
Cabinet and it is not for the premier to say what it should do. He should
apologize to both the legislature and the media.
For its part, the legislature should end its protests and refer Wang and DPP
Legislator Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) to the legislature’s Discipline Committee to
prevent the public from turning against it.
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