Taiwan’s global credibility on the line with disputed laws: President Lai
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Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te said the Parliament should withdraw a series of laws the government opposes.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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TAIPEI – Taiwan’s global credibility is on the line and Parliament should withdraw a series of laws the government opposes, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said amid a deepening dispute with the opposition, which has slammed him for ignoring the will of the people.
While Mr Lai won the presidential election in 2024, his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its parliamentary majority to the Kuomintang (KMT) and its much smaller ally the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP).
Since the DPP controls the presidency, it also runs the government in Taiwan’s system, but the opposition has used its parliamentary majority to pass its own legislation and stymie government plans.
The current stand-off between the government and the opposition stems from opposition-passed amendments in November to a revenue allocation law, which granted more funds to local governments.
Mr Lai’s administration says that law, along with the reversing of pension reforms enacted in 2018, is fiscally unsustainable, and Taiwan’s Premier Cho Jung-tai on Dec 15 said he was refusing to enact the local government financing law.
In a video message posted to social media late on Dec 15, Mr Lai said the laws should be withdrawn, and reiterated he was willing to go to Parliament himself and speak to lawmakers.
“Dear fellow citizens, Taiwan is already a key hub of the global democratic camp; our stability affects the entire world. We cannot allow flawed laws to weaken Taiwan’s competitiveness, and we must not let the international community lose confidence in Taiwan,” he said.
The KMT and TPP say the government is acting dictatorially by refusing to enact the legislation and is trampling on the rule of law by ignoring the will of the democratically elected Parliament.
KMT spokesman Niu Hsu-ting said the DPP had already failed electorally in 2025. He pointed to recall elections over the summer against a swathe of KMT lawmakers pushed by civic groups but supported by the DPP and which did not remove a single KMT lawmaker from office.
“When ordinary citizens thought the ruling party might finally calm down and heed public sentiment, what they got instead was more of the same low-level tactics: spreading rumours, making baseless accusations and resorting to emotional blackmail and divisive tactics,” he said.
The KMT has, however, so far held off on a vote of no confidence in the Premier, which could lead to the fall of the government and possibly new parliamentary elections. REUTERS
