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Taiwan’s democracy has earned global acclaim for its exemplary public health response, progressive policies, and flourishing public discourse. CAPRI, deeply committed to advancing resilience and good governance, has a keen interest in gaining a deeper insight into Taiwan’s democratic processes and the critical role of legislators in shaping policy.
This summer, CAPRI organized a three-part speaker series, “Consensus Amidst Diversity: Taiwanese Legislators’ Role in Policymaking,” featuring legislators from each of Taiwan’s major political parties in the Legislative Yuan. Each legislator shared their experiences in advocating for policies and seeking consensus amidst diverse opinions to enact policy that benefits constituents.
At the first session, Cynthia Wu from the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) explained Taiwan’s policymaking process through her personal experiences on sustainable economic innovation, digital competitiveness, and workforce development, focusing on the debate around the 40-hour workweek in Taiwan and a proposed Sovereign Wealth Fund.
Charles I-Hsin Chen from the Kuomintang (KMT) served as the spokesperson in the Office of President Ma Ying-jeou. He is the CEO of the Institute for Taiwan-American Studies in Washington, DC. His talk emphasized the difficulties of negotiating policy as a minority party, calling for electoral reform and a strengthened foundation for evidence-based policymaking.
Highlighting examples of the same-sex marriage law and labor reform in the final session, Ching-Yi Lin from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) shared the challenges of balancing progressive policy proposals with retaining the support of more conservative voters, particularly as misinformation polarizes the public.
Following each legislator’s remarks, domestic and foreign guests of different backgrounds engaged in a dynamic question-and-answer session. These questions delved deeper into core political issues and policymaking efforts, such as Taiwan’s integration with the international community and the upcoming general election in January 2024. This was an opportunity to bring diverse political, functional, and international perspectives to the complex issues at hand.
The sessions revealed the different roles legislators across the three parties play in policymaking; some set the agenda, whereas others provide critical checks and balances in the legislation process. The following common themes emerged:
- Trade-offs in policymaking: Enacting a policy that satisfies everyone—even within a single party—is nearly impossible, but balancing the interests of diverse stakeholders is imperative for effective policymaking. Reaching consensus on the prioritization of conflicting interests requires open dialogue among stakeholders who share the same values but have different perspectives on the best policies to uphold them.
- Cross-party collaboration: Negotiating across parties is an important part of a legislator’s responsibility. Without consistent collaboration and compromise between parties, gridlock and polarization may ensue, which only obstruct progress toward serving the constituents.
- Democracy and representation: Public awareness and participation are the cornerstones of a thriving democracy. Policymakers play a critical role in upholding democratic principles, ensuring that the people’s will is reflected in policy decisions and maintaining accountability mechanisms. This entails actively involving the public, providing them with information on intricate matters, and dispelling misinformation.
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亞堅會2022年5月成立迄今,積極倡議民主韌性的重要,並致力推動亞太地區的良善治理。我們相信,持續深化與社會各界的溝通,並主動開展具建設性的對話,對於推動社會的正面改革至關重要。
台灣的民主蓬勃發展,公民積極參與政治,有許多值得其他國家學習之經驗,然亦有未臻完善之處。而推動民主治理的工作,必須仰賴社會各界的努力,促進更多有意義的政策討論。其中,立法委員肩負反映社會民意的使命,他們擔任第一線的政策決策者,且是許多重大社會改革的關鍵推動者。
亞堅會作為台灣第一個非政府、跨黨派的獨立國際公共政策智庫,盼能汲取台灣的民主治理經驗,藉此深入了解台灣公共政策制定及立法院運作的過程,進而激發我們思考組織發展及研究方向,如何在亞太地區扮演重要且獨特的角色,並發揮智庫的政策影響力。
8月亞堅會舉辦全新系列的「亞堅會對話」(CAPRI Conversation)活動,三位來自不同政黨的現任立委,台灣民眾黨吳欣盈委員、中國國民黨陳以信委員、民主進步黨林靜儀委員分別出席,與我們進行三場的午餐對話,在亞堅會建構的國際交流平台上,分享他們對台灣公共政策制定及立法實務的經驗與見解,並討論立委如何在多元的意見中尋求共識,進而提出適切的公共政策,促成重要的政策改變。
國會系統及三黨理念的各自表述:不同政治視角看台灣
8月1日的午餐對談中,民眾黨的吳欣盈委員向國際聽眾介紹台灣立法院運作情況,包含立法院的議事規則,立委職權、立法程序等並說明民眾黨的政治理念,以及分享了她對台灣的永續發展、數位化與健康、創新融資等方面立法實踐的見解。
國民黨的不分區立委陳以信,因曾任馬英九總統辦公室代言人、中國國民黨海外部主任及美國華府智庫台美研究中心執行長等國際職位,在8月14日的第二場對話,由來自在野黨的觀點出發,以國際角度分析當前選舉制度及國會結構,對非執政黨可能造成的不利影響,並強調針對現有機制提出改革、鞏固民主發展的重要。其中陳委員指出,與美國相比,台灣國會的研究能量較為不足,故應設法提升國會的政策研究能力,持續深化民主治理。
民進黨立委林靜儀曾任婦產科主治醫師,長期關注公衛及性別平權議題,也在9月1日的第三場對話,分享民進黨制定政策時注重的永續平等價值,並表示其理念為幫忙追求年輕人的訴求的同時,也留住嚴重受假訊息影響、保守的老一輩忠實選民。
法案推動經驗談:變革及理念之間的進退
第一場民眾黨的立委吳欣盈,隸屬於社福及衛環委員會,並具備金融專業背景與豐富的國際經驗,特別關注經貿、數位及永續發展之相關政策,包含研擬修正《央行法》成立主權基金、完善修正《個人資料保護法》及推動《數位醫療發展條例》完成立法等。
同時,台中市第二選區的民進黨立委林靜儀,在第三次的午餐談話與我們分享同性婚姻及勞基法修正案的經過,說明推動政策變革過程中所遇到的困難,以及當不同的支持群眾間意見出現分歧時,如何透過理性的溝通,消弭歧見並凝聚共識,提出各方所能接受的解方。
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