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EDITORIAL: Parties
undercut right to protest
As the political strife between President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Legislative
Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) shows no signs of ending and public hostility
against the Ma administration grows, fights over permits to hold protests in
Taipei are restarting.
Civil groups planning to hold anti-Ma rallies were confronted with a small group
of people who lined up 24 hours earlier in front of Taipei City Hall to obtain
road permits. These people refused to reveal the dates and venues of their
events, but the city’s New Construction Office confirmed that they have obtained
road permits for Yangde Boulevard leading to the Chungshan Building on Nov. 1, a
possible venue for the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) delayed party congress.
While civil groups condemned the KMT for hiring part-time workers to obtain road
permits for popular rally venues to prevent anti-Ma protests, the KMT has
maintained a low-key stance and the part-time workers continued to stand in line
in front of city hall.
Competition between political parties over road permits to either hold rallies
or block rallies has always been fierce when political confrontations escalate.
When the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was in power, it also sent members
to obtain permits and reserve Ketagalan Boulevard — despite having no plans to
hold events — in order to block organizers of a campaign to oust then-president
Chen-Shui-bian (陳水扁).
When then-Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait chairman Chen
Yunlin (陳雲林) visited Taiwan in 2008 soon after the KMT regained power, the party
also tried to obtain a road permit for Zhongshan North Road leading to the Grand
Hotel during his stay there to prevent the pan-green camp from securing permits
to protest near the hotel.
Amid recent public discontent against Ma, the KMT obtained road permits in front
of the KMT headquarters on Bade Road every Wednesday and set up road blocks
without holding any events there to prevent protests during the party’s weekly
Central Standing Committee meeting.
The tactic of obtaining road permits, but not holding events, with the goal of
blocking rallies by opposing groups undermines people’s right to assemble and
violates the Constitution, activists from civil groups have said.
It is frustrating that the KMT and the DPP took turns abusing the road permit
mechanism, which allocates permits on a first-come, first-served basis. Neither
party has made an effort to close loopholes in the city regulations that allow
such tactics to continue.
Regulations for road permits require applicants to hand in their forms and
supporting documents to the city government eight to 30 days prior to the date
of the planned event. While applicants should also obtain a rally permit from
the Taipei City Police Department, the police usually grant approval for any
applicants with road permits.
The Taipei City Government should adopt measures to make sure that the permits
are actually used for rallies or other events. Details of the planned rallies or
activities should also be required on the permit application forms.
Without a tighter screening system, regulations on road permits will continue to
be abused for political gains and the public and democracy will be the real
victims.
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