Presidential Office: Legislative Power Not Higher than Executive Power

 Presidential Office: Legislative Power Not Higher than Executive Power

Source: All Taipei Newspapers

Aug. 3, 2015

The controversy over the recent adjustments to high school history textbook guidelines continues to heat up. The Cabinet directed the Education Ministry to implement the textbook guidelines, new and old, on August 1. However, students opposing the guideline adjustments continued their sit-in at the Education Ministry Building and called on the Legislative Yuan to hold an extraordinary session to discuss whether to withdraw the guideline adjustments. In response, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) on July 31 recommended that Education Minister Wu Se-hwa (吳思華) delay the implementation of guideline adjustments so as to allow for a discussion within the Legislative Yuan. Education Minister Wu stated that the textbooks had already been printed.

 Wang stated that he decided to hold a formal discussion on August 4 on whether or not an extraordinary session of the LY be held to debate the changes to the high school textbook guidelines. The Presidential Office and Cabinet both supported the Education Minister and directed the Education Ministry to do their utmost to communicate with the public. Premier Mao stated that the Education Ministry should brief the Legislative Yuan on the changes.      

 On July 31, Education Minister Wu also communicated with the students and the people staging the sit-in. However, the students kept heckling Wu and demanded that the Education Minister drop all the charges against the students, called for his stepdown, and demanded that implementation of the guidelines adjustments be halted. The students asked "Yes" or "No" answers only. In response, Wu stated that society was full of complicated issues that could not be resolved by only "yes" and "no" answers. Wu expressed his intention to communicate with students rationally and peacefully, but the students rejected his pleas and stated that the negotiations were pointless.    

 In response, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) stated yesterday that the power to adjust textbook guidelines belonged to the executive branch rather than legislative branch, so any extraordinary Legislative session should not solely deal with the textbook revisions, adding that bread and butter bills should also be discussed. KMT Presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-Chu (洪秀柱) pointed out that she supported the KMT caucus's decision. The Presidential Office and the Cabinet reiterated the support for Minister Wu's decision, adding that the bottomline was that the legislative power should not be higher than executive power.  

 DPP Chairwoman and Presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) noted that holding an extraordinary session of the LY would be the best solution to the current dilemma.

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