For Consultations on Zeroing Party Assets, the DPP and the IGPASC Should Not Put Up Obstacles

For Consultations on Zeroing Party Assets, the DPP and the IGPASC Should Not Put Up Obstacles

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

July 6, 2020

 Translation of an Excerpt

The Constitutional Court recently heard oral arguments regarding the statute governing "Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement"; within a month, it will announce the date of promulgating the pertinent constitutional interpretation. At the crucial moment of the constitutional interpretation, the KMT proposed to the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee (IGPASC) a recommendation for administrative consultations, expressing its willingness to donate to the public cause all remaining party assets to achieve the objective of "zeroing party assets." However, the IGPASC had reservations regarding this proposal and obviously had other political calculations.

The statute governing the IGPASC has all along been full of disputes, from legislation to implementation. The DPP, relying on its parliamentary majority, railroaded the legislative action; the IGPASC became an enormous government agency with unprecedented authority, attacking and slaughtering at will the so-called "ill-gotten party assets" and "affiliated organizations" as determined by the committee This combination of "administrative jurisdiction" and "judicial jurisdiction" not only breaks the basic rules of the operations of the rule of law, but also harms democratic constitutional government.

Since the KMT wants administrative consultations on "zeroing party assets," then we should ensure that it can be accomplished under the supervision of the whole people so that the party assets can be used for the greatest public good, rather than letting the DPP singlehanded decide the disposal and distribution of the assets. In fact, no matter what the result of the constitutional interpretation by the Grand Justices, it will inevitably elicit differing questions. If the KMT’s party assets can be donated to public cause with the consent of both parties, it will help the Grand Justices to face the statute governing the IGPASC in a more just manner. No matter from the perspective of the long-term development of the country or the reconciliation of political parties, the DPP and the IGPASC should no longer put up obstacles on the consultations for zeroing party assets this time.

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