Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan resumes vote on reform bills

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Legislative Yuan resumed voting on the parliamentary reform bills on Tuesday (May 21), drawing significant attention following a physical altercation among the three major party caucuses last Friday (May 17).

The conflict erupted over the proposed "Five Laws for Parliamentary Reform" jointly pushed by the Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨), which was scheduled for a final reading on May 17 but was delayed due to a lack of discussion, angering members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨).

In response to the procedural oversight by the KMT and TPP, civic groups and DPP supporters decided to rally on Tuesday to protest. TPP caucus whip Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) expressed respect for the public's assembly. However, Huang firmly stated that the parliamentary reform process was transparent and urged the DPP to stop spreading false information, emphasizing the need for facts-based discussions.

Huang Kuo-chang also highlighted that parliamentary reform has been a shared policy vision of the TPP since last year and was a topic of their first policy presentation. He stressed the party's commitment to discussing and voting on the reform bills with the "most determined attitude and action."

This ongoing debate underscores the deep divisions within Taiwan's political landscape and the challenges of achieving consensus on legislative reforms.