March 28, 2014 -- The government is open to the idea of legalizing a mechanism to monitor cross-strait pacts, having full confidence that the Cross-Strait Agreement on Trade in Services will stand up to scrutiny, Premier Jiang Yi-huah said as the protest against the agreement entered its 11th day.
Speaking at a press conference today, Jiang said the administration welcomes dialogue with all segments of society and will be candid in explaining the contents of the pact as well as its pros and cons. A public policy cannot claim democratic support without communication; therefore, the government will devote every effort to facilitate people’s understanding of the issues covered by the pact, he assured.
With respect to the question of whether a legally binding supervisory mechanism for cross-strait agreements should be established, the ruling party already proposed a communication mechanism this February, requiring any cross-strait agreement submitted by administrative agencies to be subject to monitoring by the Legislature and the general public at four different stages of the process:
1. During issue formation, when the content of the agreement is taking shape.
2. .Communication during negotiations (when the ROC has decided to negotiate an agreement with the mainland, the relevant ministries, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and Straits Exchange Foundation should undertake preparatory measures).
3. Before signing (the agreement’s principal contents must be reported to the Legislature and its orientation explained to related groups and the general public); and
4. After signing (the government must disclose detailed information in the pact that was deemed sensitive or confidential during previous stages).
This process covers internal communication among administrative agencies, interaction between the legislative and executive branches, monitoring by the Legislature, communication with relevant groups, and explanations to the general public, the premier noted. The four-stage mechanism is being applied to the services trade deal and the recently signed agreements on earthquake monitoring and meteorological cooperation, all of which are also subject to legislative supervision.
Many people have been calling on the government to make this supervisory system into law, Jiang said. Since the legislation of this mechanism can help dispel the public’s misgivings about cross-strait agreements, the executive branch is basically open to legalizing any negotiation and supervisory mechanisms. As for what specific form the monitoring mechanism will take, as long as there is a consensus all around, the Executive Yuan will direct the MAC to quickly draft the laws that will serve as a basis for monitoring future cross-strait agreements.
The premier pointed out that the government continues to extend olive branches to the protesters. Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng, for instance, convened a flurry of meetings between ruling and opposition parties in hopes of breaking through the stalemate. President Ma Ying-jeou also issued a formal invitation to student representatives for face-to-face talks at the Office of the President.
Responding to student protesters’ plans to stage a demonstration on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the presidential office building on March 30, Jiang reiterated that the government respects every person’s right to express his or her viewpoint, because freedom of speech should be protected by a democratic society. He also called for opinions to be voiced in democratic, rational and peaceful manners.
To help maintain order throughout the scheduled demonstration, the Executive Yuan will direct the National Police Agency and Taipei City Police Department to see to it that police officers exercise restraint when enforcing the law so as to ensure a peaceful demonstration, the premier emphasized.
Jiang also called on leaders of the student and civilian demonstrations to take full social responsibility. “If they rally the crowds to protest on Ketagalan Boulevard, they should ensure the campaign is carried out peacefully,” he said. “This is the demeanor and capability that a civic group in a democratic society should demonstrate.”
Among groups opposing the services pact in recent days, some have expressed the belief that the use of violence can push forward democratic progression, Jiang said. He stressed that such a radical claim is worrying and reiterated that over the past several decades, the people in Taiwan have always sought democratization through peaceful means instead. “I believe the large majority of citizens would not like to see violent conduct encouraged during the process of democratization,” he reiterated.
“Often in public policy it is only through compromise that we can see opportunities,” the premier said, noting that the ruling party’s legislative caucus agreed on March 27 to consider returning the services pact to the committee for a clause-by-clause review and vote. The Executive Yuan respects the ruling party caucus’ willingness to compromise and seek society’s greatest common denominator to let the agreement to return to the point prior to the dispute.
Jiang added that he hopes this concession will help pacify criticisms over the procedures and that the accord, which he considers conducive to Taiwan’s future development, will undergo realistic and rational clause-by-clause review and vote when it returns to the committee.
Jiang went on to say that the services pact has drawn the attention of citizens across the nation. Many who were previously unaware of the pact or unclear about its importance to Taiwan’s economic future are now actively learning about it and engaging in rational discussions on the issues. The government is pleased to see this change and has instructed all agencies under the Executive Yuan—not just the Ministry of Economic Affairs and MAC—to make the most of this rare opportunity and communicate with the entire citizenry regarding the TiSA.
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