Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng's Hong Chun-pei Culture and Education Foundation Public Welfare Lecture

Regarding outside criticism that the Legislative Yuan is spinning its wheels and that its approval ratings are low, Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng pushed back strongly this morning, pointing out that the Legislative Yuan is a place where public opinion converges, with representatives of every party, constituency, ideology and ethnic group. Newspapers all say the Legislative Yuan is the most unaccepted and most criticized institution with low approval ratings, "and this is a situation common the world over. Public satisfaction with the US Congress is also in the teens, and ours is about the same."

At the invitation of the Hong Chun-pei Culture and Education Foundation and the Taiwan Business Daily, Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng gave a lecture titled "Legislative Effectiveness, Benefiting the Nation and the People" on the morning of January 11 at the Zhongshan Auditorium of the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. A large crowd packed the venue, and because it was overflowing, many people outside were still unable to get in, showing just how hugely popular President Wang Jin-pyng is.

Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng's Public Welfare Lecture: There Will Always Be a Day of Reconciliation in Politics

Wang Jin-pyng recounted in detail the many little-known hardships behind the Legislative Yuan's arduous operation; he stressed that the Legislative Yuan's legislative process is "real knives and real guns," and that legislators are human, not gods. Even a god beating a drum can make mistakes, and he believes that the vast majority of the Legislative Yuan's legislation is high quality.

Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng said that as of yesterday, the fourth session of the eighth Legislative Yuan had passed 362 bills including legislative proposals. "Spinning wheels is a political conflict that makes it impossible for the chamber to proceed. Spinning wheels is also unavoidable. After spinning wheels, the Legislative Yuan made up for it all by working overtime."

As for the Legislative Yuan's low approval ratings, Wang Jin-pyng said this is common the world over. Public satisfaction with the US Congress is also in the teens, and ours is about the same. Wang Jin-pyng also cited how "diplomacy" and "national defense" went from two committees to one. He said the connection between diplomacy and national defense is not that great and they are quite far apart, yet they can become one committee, which shows that "politics is also something we can talk about. When someone is a friend and when someone is an enemy, we don't know, but in the end there will be a day of reconciliation, and in the end there will be a day of mutual integration."

In addition, this was also the first time since the Special Investigation Division accused him last year of involvement in judicial lobbying that Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng responded to the lobbying issue in a public speech.

Wang Jin-pyng said the legislature is a place of self-discipline and autonomy. As for related individual cases, the Legislative Yuan's Discipline Committee will handle them, and whether there is any effect depends on the person, the matter and how it is handled. As a party involved, he is not in a position to comment. But he also said that current laws do not regulate the issue of "lobbying," and the two words "lobbying" do not appear in legal provisions either. "If it is wanted, then relevant laws should be enacted."

In addition, he also stressed that there is no so-called closed-door negotiation in the Legislative Yuan, because whether they are legislators, officials or even assistants, all can take part, and at any one time there are more than a hundred people present, so how could it be closed-door? Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng also advised the opposition parties that sometimes everyone should look further ahead, rather than insist on making things difficult for the governing authorities.

Politics is the art of compromise. The political situation changes every day, and it is quite normal to have different ideologies, but Wang Jin-pyng believes it is necessary to recognize that the major principles have not changed, only that there are differences in how things are done. When there are opinions and problems, people can sit down together, exchange arguments and show rationality, so that voters know that voting for a representative can truly get things done for them; at the same time, the process of mutual consultation can help each side understand and appreciate the other's position, reach a policy direction acceptable to everyone, and produce consensus.

Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng finally said that if communication ultimately still cannot resolve differences, only then as a last resort should matters be put to a vote, and only then can the minority be required to submit to the majority, rather than using an "absolutely dominant number of seats" to vote down the opposition, which distorts the true meaning of the majority respecting the minority. Having served four consecutive terms as Legislative Yuan president, from scenes of brawling, with the blue and green camps each occupying the speaker's platform, and boycotts paralyzing the entire legislative process, to today's "more gentlemanly" parliament, the political insights Wang Jin-pyng has gained are unmatched by anyone.

As for the specific demands by the Legislative Yuan's ruling and opposition caucuses that Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi must not commit to political issues during his visit, upholding the interests of the people of Taiwan and national sovereignty are all very important concrete actions; Wang Jin-pyng stressed that the Legislative Yuan will make this into a main resolution during the general budget, equivalent to a measure-type law, with binding force equal to law.

Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng Profile

President Wang Jin-pyng graduated from the Department of Mathematics at National Taiwan Normal University. He has served as a mathematics teacher at Provincial Jinde Middle School, chairman of the Kaohsiung County Industrial Association, vice president of the Legislative Yuan in the second and third terms, chairman of the Sino-Japanese Parliamentary Friendship Association, commissioner of the Taiwan Major League, vice chairman of the Kuomintang, chairman of the Republic of China Legislators Association, and chairman of the National Biotechnology and Medical Care Industry Promotion Association. He is currently president of the Legislative Yuan, chairman of the Presidium of the Kuomintang Central Advisory Committee, chairman of the Taiwan Cancer Foundation, president-general of the General Association of the Republic of China Volunteer Police Development, president-general of the General Association of the Republic of China Volunteer Firefighters, chairman of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons Foundation, chairman of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, chairman of the Taiwan Anti-Cancer Alliance, chairman of the Republic of China Gateball Association, chairman of the Republic of China Legislators Association, and chairman of the Biotechnology and Medical Technology Policy Research Center. He is currently president of the Legislative Yuan.

Hong Chun-pei Culture and Education Foundation 103rd Year Public Welfare Lecture