Public Hearing on Anti-Infiltration Bill: DPP Officials Dodge Ma’s 3 Consecutive Questions

  Public Hearing on Anti-Infiltration Bill: DPP Officials Dodge Ma’s 3 Consecutive Questions

Source: UDN

December 11, 2019

After the DPP caucus relied on its supermajority in the Legislative Yuan (LY) to vote, on November 29, in favor of advancing the “Anti-Infiltration Bill” it introduced to the second reading in the plenary session, skipping the committee review, while the KMT legislators boycotted the proceedings, the DPP caucus planned to railroad the legislative action on the bill through the LY on December 31. Yesterday, the KMT caucus held a public hearing on the “Anti-Infiltration Bill,” inviting former President Ma Ying-jeou, Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正), deputy chairman of the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), under the Cabinet, Chang Chun-hui (張春暉), a counselor of the Justice Ministry, and other government officials to the hearing.

Ma asked the government officials present at the hearing three consecutive questions concerning possible difficulties in implementing the proposed law, if the bill were passed, but the officials either dodged Ma’s questions or declined to answer.

Ma first asked the MAC, “If the government believes only by enacting the ‘Anti-Infiltration Bill’ into law could the situation be brought under control, then please tell us why?” Chiu answered that it was because the current laws and regulations failed to lay down any norms concerning external forces’ actions in instructing, commissioning, or financing an individual or individuals to infringe on the fairness of our nation’s elections, to interfere in our democratic procedures, and to undermine our social order.

Ma went on to point out that except for in the US and Australia, the “Anti-Infiltration Act” was a rarity in other democratic countries, asking Chiu whether any other countries had such legislation in addition to the US and Australia. Chiu failed to reply directly to the question.

With regard to the unclearly-defined terms stipulated in the “Anti-Infiltration Bill,” such as overseas hostile forces and infiltration sources, Ma asked the Justice Ministry, “If the bill should be enacted into law, would there be any difficulties in implementing the proposed law?” Chang answered that if legal prerequisites were unclear, then prosecutors might not be able to determine whether a case conformed to the legal prerequisites, and might decide not to indict the suspects.

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