The Emergency Session Must End the National Nightmare

The Emergency Session Must End the National Nightmare
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
July 25, 2012

Summary: Today the Legislative Yuan convened an emergency session. The ruling KMT and opposition DPP proposed dozens of bills in back and forth battle. Among the most important of these were U.S. beef imports and the capital gains tax. The Legislative Yuan must arrive at a decision. It cannot allow these two nightmares to continue to haunt society.

Full Text below:

Today the Legislative Yuan convened an emergency session. The ruling KMT and opposition DPP proposed dozens of bills in back and forth battle. Among the most important of these were U.S. beef imports and the capital gains tax. The Legislative Yuan must arrive at a decision. It cannot allow these two nightmares to continue to haunt society.

U.S. beef imports and the capital gains tax have provoked intense controversy, in part because the ruling KMT failed to seize the moment. Even more frightening is the militant political culture on Taiwan, with its habitual aggressiveness, in which demagogues toy with national policy just for the fun of it. This is the biggest stumbling block to political progress on Taiwan. The ruling KMT lacks determination. The opposition DPP lacks integrity. Together they have mired society in controversy for half a year. Is this not enough?

Take U.S. beef imports. The Codex Alimentarius has set residue standards for Ractopamine. The opposition DPP's sole justification for opposing US beef imports has evaporated. The ruling KMT and opposition DPP are now more concerned about winning or losing the vote. So why the half year long battle? The opposition DPP insisted on "zero tolerance" under the guise of national health. It wasted everyone's time and energy. It brought the debate down to an anti-science level. The DPP resorted to every means at its disposal. But what about its own political convictions when it was in power? It has been making all sorts of baseless allegations. It staged a brute force occupation of the podium in the legislature for five days and four nights. It exacted an incalculable cost on society. Who will be the one to pay?

The ruling and opposition parties are using the emergency session to wage war. The DPP will continue to vote nay. It says it will not change its obstructionist stance. It is saying no just for the sake of saying no. Can such a political party prove it is rational and progressive? What about the KMT? This bill must be submitted to a vote before it can be passed into law. But the Blue Camp already has the seats to achieve this goal. Why the weakness, hesitation, and bickering? First they resisted the instructions from the party leadership. Now they must bow and give in. What sort of political party is so lacking in resolve?

Now take the capital gains tax. The bill was changed again and again. It missed its window of opportunity. It even caused the stock market to plummet. Today the Executive Yuan version of the bill takes 8500 points as its baseline. This is tantamount to announcing a postponement. This may not be the best time to introduce the capital gains tax. But society has already endured six months of turmoil. We can dismiss the lessons of this tragic experience?

They say a bear market is not the time to impose a capital gains tax. But neither is a bull market. They no longer require justifications. The legislature should not cavalierly surrender on the capital gains tax. It may as well pass the bill. It may as well let everyone know the bottom line. A major investor in the stock market earning huge profits must know that he will pay capital gains tax. Small investors must know their rights will not be affected. Ordinary citizens outside the loop must know the government will not allow the wealthiest businessmen to make unearned profits. This will kill three birds with one stone.

A government incapable of promoting its policies is shameful. An opposition party incapable of finding its own direction is pitiful. Both major political parties have let the people down. The Ma administration began its second term in January. This was a golden opportunity to begin anew. But his party and administration wavered, hesitated, and bickered over U.S. beef imports, the capital gains tax, and gasoline and electricity price hikes. The KMT and the Ma administration wasted half a year and allowed a golden opportunity to slip through their fingers.

Meanwhile the opposition DPP thinks all it needs to do is trip up the Ma administration. It thinks any Ma administration loss will be a DPP victory. But as we all know, those who suffer the most amidst the fog of war, will be ordinary folk and innocent business people. During the U.S. beef imports controversy, opposition DPP politicians insulted the peoples' intelligence with their bigoted and inflammatory language. Worse, they deprived consumers of their freedom of choice. DPP politicians must cease their obstructionism. During the capital gains tax controversy, the DPP repeatedly stressed "taxation based on ability to pay." Now it is claiming "The timing is not right" and calling for a postponement. Does it intend to betray peoples' expectations for fairness and justice? Or does it intend allow this collective wound to heal?

The ruling KMT lacks the courage of its convictions. The opposition DPP knows only how to tear down, not how to build up. Neither is able to establish a healthy democracy. Today the Legislative Yuan will convene an emergency session. The ruling and opposition parties are waging offensive and defensive campaigns on both the tactical and strategic level. They must not forget the original purpose of politics -- the management of public issues. They must not forget the political battlefield is filled with more than their rivals. It is also filled with ordinary citizens. Consider the timeline. The U.S. beef imports and capital gains controversies have plagued society for six months. Taiwan has been a hostage to decades of Blue vs. Green infighting. Politicians must be wise, and not become the object of people's nightmares.

臨時會必須終結全民兩大噩夢
【聯合報╱社論】
2012.07.25 02:55 am

立法院今天召開臨時會，朝野共提出數十個法案展開攻防衝刺。其中最重要的當然是美牛和證所稅兩案，立法院無論如何必須作出決議，不能讓這兩大噩夢繼續纏繞台灣社會。

美牛案和證所稅之所以引發重重爭議，與執政黨無法妥善掌握決策分寸與時機，有絕對關係。但更可怕的，則是台灣政治文化中那種好戰、好鬥的習氣，竟到了「以蹂躪國政為樂」的地步，這才是阻礙台灣進步的最大絆腳石。執政黨的缺乏意志，反對陣營的出爾反爾，共同織造了社會半年的紛紛擾擾，還不夠嗎？

先談美牛案。在國際食品法典委員會通過萊克多巴胺殘留標準後，在野黨反對的支點已經消失，朝野勢必轉由表決決定輸贏。但必須追問的是，過去半年的漫天戰火，在野黨假藉國民健康為由堅持「零檢出」，不僅虛耗國家能量，更將議論辯證層次降到了「反科學」的地步；民進黨使出渾身解數時，想過自己的從政信仰何在嗎？而種種毫無根據的指控，與五天四夜霸占議場，浪費難以計數的社會成本，要誰支付？

如果在臨時會的表決大戰中，民進黨仍將投下反對票，以宣示其杯葛立場不變；那麼，除了為反對而反對，這個政黨還能向人民展現什麼理性和進步？同樣的問題，也要反問國民黨：如果此案終須透過表決一較高下，那麼在上會期藍軍即可憑席次優勢達到目的，當時為何卻是怯弱、猶疑、雜音四起？先前拚命抗拒黨中央的指令，如今又得俯首就範，這又是什麼樣一支缺乏中心意志的政治隊伍？

再看證所稅。此案一修再修，不僅錯失了推動的黃金時間，更導致股市一路動盪縮水；如今政院版草案設定八千五百點方才起徵，也已形同宣布「緩徵」。關鍵就在，眼前或許非開徵證所稅的最佳時機，但台灣社會既已經歷半年刻骨銘心的折騰，我們能輕易放棄這段慘痛經驗換來的教訓嗎？

如果股市走跌不是開徵證所稅的良好時機，股市上揚時討論開徵必然也是票房毒藥；其中道理，已不需多作辯證。因此，國會與其以證所稅歲入不多而隨意放棄，還不如趁此通過法案，讓各界心理上有個底定與澄清：股市鉅子知道將來賺大錢必須繳稅，一般散戶知道自己權益不受影響，局外小民則認知政府並未放任富商鉅賈不勞而獲，這才是一舉三得之計。

一個無法推動決策的政府，是可恥的；而一個找不到自己方向的在野黨，則是可悲的，兩種政黨都對不起人民。馬總統元月連任後，原本有絕佳的機會為台灣開創新局，他的黨政團隊卻因游移、觀望、內訌，在美牛、證所稅、油電雙漲等議題上耗掉半年，平白喪失了大好情勢。

反觀在野黨，以為在政治上牽絆住馬政府的腳步，就是自己政黨的勝利；殊不知，在朝野對決的煙硝戰場，受苦受難的都是普通百姓、無辜企業。在美牛案，政治人物以其褊狹的語言粗暴踐踏了民眾的知識，更剝奪了消費者選擇的自由，今天不能再拗下去。而在證所稅案，先前不斷強調要「量能課稅」的民進黨，如今卻又以「時機不宜」要求緩議；如此作法，是要背叛民眾期待的公平正義，還是想讓這個集體傷口一直疼痛下去？

缺乏魄力的執政黨，加上只破不立的在野黨，不可能建構成一個健康的民主政治。今天的立院臨時會，朝野政黨在研擬政黨攻防戰術戰略之際，不要忘了政治的初衷是在「管理眾人之事」，不要忘了政治沙場上除了敵手，還有人民。從時間的軸線看，美牛和證所稅案已經折磨台灣社會半年之久，而台灣被藍綠挾持已十幾年；明智的政治人物，請勿把自己變成操縱人民噩夢的幽靈。