Thousands of people protest in front of parliament, legislators attack and beat each other inside: it is not the same. Peace and unity The new president of Taiwan called for when he took office this week.
The democratic and self-governing island, facing increasing pressure from China, is agitated by a controversial bill that critics say could make things easier for Beijing. interfere with Taiwan's internal affairs.
Passionate reaction highlights tension political atmosphere in Taiwan as the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, enters an unprecedented third presidential term. Some fear the party's confrontational stance toward China could provoke an attack, while its supporters argue that close collaboration with Beijing could cede too much power to the Communist Party.
Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory and has vowed to reunify it with the mainland and achieve that goal by force if necessary.
On Friday, tens of thousands of protesters gathered outside the parliamentary building for the third time, objecting to the bill that would subject government officials and private companies to questioning by lawmakers, or to fines or imprisonment.
If passed, the bill would significantly reduce the power of President William Lai, who would also be subject to an annual political report by the legislature.
Proponents of the proposal, backed by two opposition parties (the Kuomintang and the Taiwan People's Party, also known as KMT and TPP), say improvements are needed government responsibility.
Critics argue that the bill is being rushed through without proper procedures and that forcing sensitive disclosures would be unconstitutional and could undermine national security. One fear is that China's targets will have their private information exposed.
“This sets the tone for what Taiwan's domestic politics will be like under a Lai administration,” said Lev Nachman, a political science professor at National Chengchi University in Taipei. “It's going to be chaotic and there will be very little the PDP can do.”
Lai, the former vice president also known by his Chinese name, Lai Ching-te, won the elections in January with 40% of the votes. Her predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, served a maximum of two four-year terms. But the PPD lost its majority in the legislature, indicating growing discontent among Taiwanese citizens with the previous administration.
Under Tsai, Taiwan moved closer to the United States and increasingly disagree with China, which on Thursday launched two days of military exercises around the island in a show of displeasure with the new president.
At his inauguration on Monday, Lai called on China to cease its military activity and political intimidationand said that neither party was subordinate to the other.
He stressed his goal of maintaining the status quo, but also emphasized Taiwan's autonomy, prompting an angry rebuke from Beijing.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office denounced Lai for promoting “separatist fallacies” and advocating Taiwanese independence. The country also sanctioned three American defense contractors for supplying weapons to Taiwan.
Growing fears of military conflict have increased political divisions within the island of 23 million.
As China rises military exercises and courts friendship from opposition lawmakers, that raises concerns that the bill could be used to benefit the Chinese government by revealing private information, said Ming-sho Ho, a sociology professor at National Taiwan University.
“For many Taiwanese, they come to China putting pressure on Taiwan both from outside and inside,” Ho said. “People are really worried.”
On Friday, protesters chanted their disapproval from the street as lawmakers reviewed the bill. Some protesters waved signs saying “no discussion, no democracy,” while others wore yellow and black headbands with demands to increase transparency and reassess the bill point by point.
Chen Chun-xia, a 60-year-old retiree, said she was concerned that the reforms would allow lawmakers to question her family about her manufacturing business in Taiwan. It was her first time at the protests and she expected a dozen more family members to join her in the evening after work.
“I knew I had to be here when I saw the news,” he said. “This is for my family, for the next generation.”
Calvin Lin, 37, and Monica Chen, 34, who arrived at Friday's rally together, met a decade ago during Taiwan's Sunflower Movement, a mass protest against a bill to boost trade with China. At that time, the KMT held the presidency and the legislative majority but withdrew the bill after student protesters physically occupied the national legislature for three weeks.
This week's protests have been more organized, Lin said, and he does not expect the legislature to withdraw the bill. However, he hopes the demonstrations will encourage greater dialogue about the reforms. He wore a strip of cloth around his arm that said: “Taiwan can only improve without the KMT,” the same slogan he remembers from 10 years ago.
“The most important thing is that the process and the system are fair and healthy,” said Lin, who plans to protest again with his friends in the coming days. “At least it opens the dialogue. “That's the minimum.”
“Of course, parliament can reform, but it is important to have proper procedures and debates,” Chen added.
The first round of discussions, on May 17, turned violent when some lawmakers tried to stop the process. People hit, pushed, and attacked each other; five legislators were sent to the hospital.
This week, a group of 30 academics, former U.S. officials and other critics of the reforms issued a joint statement saying the proposal gives the legislature excessive power compared to other constitutional democracies and has not been allowed sufficient review by part of the public or PDP legislators.
The KMT has defended the bill as a way to curb corruption and improve checks and balances within Taiwan's government. At a news conference Thursday, party members said the proposed measures have nothing to do with cross-strait relations and attacked the PPD for “scaremongering.”
Despite the protests, the KMT and TPP, which make up the majority in the legislature, have enough support to pass the bill when the session continues on Tuesday.
“I think the opposition party has made it known that they are going to use their majority for their political purposes,” said Ho, a professor at National Taiwan University, “and this is just the beginning.”
Yang is a Times staff writer and Wu is a special correspondent.
