The UK Parliament possesses high constitutional status and great authority, but it cannot abuse its powers. First of all, a legislative reform bill is not a small deal. In Taiwan, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) has his own political stance and remains in the KMT, and this lacks neutrality. The KMT and the TPP should withdraw the proposals, or the legislature might face dissolution and realignment. Although discontentment from the public has yet to reach this level, whether the legislature would soon face dissolution is hard to tell.

Protesters react to the passing of controversial bills outside of the Legislative Yuan building in Taipei yesterday. DPP lawmakers had waved bubble tea-shaped torches, shouting: “Brush your teeth, your breath stinks” at their KMT colleagues, a reference to what they said are opposition lies about the bill. Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers, front rows, protest at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei TimesThe KMT holds 52 seats in the 113-seat legislature, while the TPP has eight and the DPP has 51. Protesters have dubbed their movement the “Blue Bird Action” — named after the road next to the Legislative Yuan in Taipei where they gathered.

Cast the democracy vandals outBy Liu Shih-ming 劉熙明The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have disregarded procedural justice and disguised their attempt at a power grab as legislative reforms, which has sparked a public outcry. The protest has been called the Qingniao movement (bluebird movement, 青鳥運動), named after Qingdao E Road (青島東路) where the protest took place. Protestors in the Qingniao movement behaved in a peaceful and rational manner. Therefore, those who participated in the Qingniao movement should not be pessimistic. Taiwan’s next local elections are to be held in one-and-a-half years, which would allow eligible voters to teach these democracy vandals a lesson.

Guermantes Lailari On Taiwan: Invest in Talented Youth for National Security and ResilienceTaiwan has a motivated, talented, and dedicated workforce, but is it good enough to keep Taiwan strong, resilient, and safe from China’s expansionist dreams? Taiwan would benefit from examining other countries’ methods for enhancing national resilience through a national human resource development program (NHRDP). Currently, Taiwan does discover talented young citizens in order to further develop national security and national resilience. Furthermore, research indicates that when these individuals complete their national service, they enter the business world and develop new innovative capabilities through start-ups that enhance national resilience not only in economic security but also in national security. With increased national wealth from a NHRDP, Taiwanese could be proud of their government’s actions to address these shortfalls while increasing Taiwan’s national security and its national resiliency.

The blame for that falls squarely on the organization responsible for ensuring a free and fair poll: the Election Commission of India. Nor has it released complete polling data, as it did in 2019. Considering that all of India’s voting is electronic, this information is readily available. The election body also sought to show that polling figures were updated in previous years as well. The commission is “not legally bound to publish any voter turnout data” for a constituency, state or phase of election, it said in its letter to the Congress Party.

Foundation urges halt to proposed amendmentsBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNAThe Judicial Reform Foundation yesterday urged the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) to halt the Legislative Yuan proceedings immediately on the grounds that their proposed amendments for legislative reforms could be illegal and unconstitutional. The legislature had passed the second reading of amendments to the Act Governing the Legislative Yuan’s Power (立法院職權行使法) on Friday last week, Tuesday and Friday. The foundation said in a statement on Friday night that the drafts submitted by the KMT and the TPP contained multiple points of contention and that the version of the amendments could be unconstitutional. Lawmakers participate in a session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on Friday. The foundation urged rational dialogue and said that it supported legislative reforms, but could not condone the passage of amendments without due deliberation.

Opposition is brazenly moving the goalpostsBy Liu Che-chia 劉哲嘉When exactly did Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) join the blue camp? They are brazenly moving the goalposts. We all know that the Legislative Yuan is a place where political parties confront each other. The Constitution of the Republic of China says that the Legislative Yuan does not have investigative rights. In terms of fines, the Legislative Yuan should also file a motion to the court to impose sanctions, and the decisions should not be made by the Legislative Yuan itself.

In spite of the widespread anger, the KMT and the TPP still voted to pass the second reading of the amendments. Many still condemn the opposition for refusing to publish the details of the amendments on the Legislative Yuan Web site, undermining the democratic system. President William Lai (賴清德) also called on the Legislative Yuan to function properly in his inaugural address on Monday. He said that while competition among political parties is inevitable, cross-party cooperation is needed to avoid unnecessary conflict. Hopefully, with continued public supervision, the three parties would eventually opt for cooperation over competition, and work out solutions that can minimize public discontent.

The Hindu-Muslim split is not the most dangerous divide in IndiaBy Mihir Sharma / Bloomberg OpinionIndia’s weeks-long election is drawing to a close. In fact, tensions between Indian states might be even more dangerous. The message to Bengalis: The BJP is a north Indian party with no respect for our culture, and they would bring violent ways of life from other Indian states to our door. The southern state of Kerala has a human development index approaching that of China, Brazil or Mexico, while many north Indian states score closer to the poorer parts of sub-Saharan Africa. For decades, multiethnic India has enjoyed healthy political competition at the state and federal levels, as well as messy political alliances between north, west, south and east.

President William Lai, front, center, gestures as he visited a military camp in Taoyuan yesterday. Photo: Ann Wang, ReutersOf the Chinese coast guard ships, four were detected off the east coast of Taiwan, three were off the southeast coast and nine were in waters near Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, he said. “Unlike China’s previous military exercises around Taiwan, it did not give precise longitudes and latitudes in which military exercises would be held, nor did it announce no-fly zones,” he said. President William Lai, third right, is shown a FIM-92 Stinger dual mount system while inspecting a military base in Taoyuan yesterday. The Coast Guard Administration said that it dispatched seven ships and 16 boats to help dispel Chinese coast guard ships off the north and east coasts.

Guatemala affirms support for Taiwan on Japan visitBy Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporterGuatemala reaffirmed its support for Taiwan during a meeting between Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Ramiro Martinez and Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoko Kamikawa on Wednesday. After attending President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration ceremony in Taiwan on Monday, Martinez’s delegation left for Japan on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of the Presidential OfficeArevalo told Lai that he looked forward to further strengthening the friendship between Taiwan and Guatemala, he added. Martinez made particular mention of Taiwan, saying that “Guatemala’s support for Taiwan remains unchanged” and that next year would mark the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two sides, it said. A decline in Taiwan’s international presence could have an impact on Japan’s security, which is why Japan attaches great importance to Guatemala, it said.

Google picks southern Indian state for smartphone productionBloombergGoogle plans to invest billions of dollars in India’s Tamil Nadu state to set up smartphone production, picking the southern industrial province for its manufacturing push in the country. Its Wing subsidiary will also assemble drones in Tamil Nadu, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. Photo: AFPA team from the Tamil Nadu government, comprising Minister for Industries T.R.B. Indian news Web site Moneycontrol earlier reported Google’s plan to manufacture in Tamil Nadu. Google said last year it will begin production of its Pixel 8 smartphones in India, without disclosing a location.

India determined to end title drought at T20 eventAP, NEW DELHIIn the ever-growing T20 cricket landscape, India boasts the richest and most-watched league in the world. Rohit Sharma’s India squad travel to the T20 World Cup in the US and the Caribbean in search of a second title to end a long drought. Photo: AFPHowever, since the advent of the IPL, India have not lifted the World Cup trophy. After winning the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007, India have only reached one more final — losing to Sri Lanka in 2014. Sharma has been a part of every India squad at the T20 World Cup.

One proposal would allow the legislature to punish government officials, legal persons and private citizens that fail to hand over documents by finding them in “contempt of the legislature” and/or imposing exorbitant fines. Ironically, the placards of many protesters read: “I hold the legislature in contempt” as KMT and TPP legislators were poised to pass their “contempt of the legislature” bills. Taiwanese must indeed express their anger at the Legislative Yuan, as KMT and TPP legislators have abandoned their civic duties. This is the path onto which KMT and TPP legislators are pushing Taiwan. That is why the people of Taiwan must hold the legislature in contempt until further notice.

EDITORIAL: Thousands protesting cannot be wrongThe scuffles on the legislative floor on Friday last week over the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) forcing controversial legislation through to the next reading were embarrassing for the nation, but they were hardly unprecedented, and it is important not to fixate on them. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus was fiercely opposed to the KMT’s and TPP’s antics. Objections and concerns have been expressed in many quarters, including international academics, the Taiwan Bar Association, local legal academics and the public. They might be right in saying that the DPP is sore now that the boot is on the other foot. That in no way means that the concerns are unfounded, and it is not the DPP alone that is protesting.