President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of February 10 at the Presidential Office met with Swedish Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman Mats Melin. The president expressed a warm welcome to Mr. Melin on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan).
President Ma noted that Mr. Melin serves as the head of the four ombudsmen in the Swedish parliament. This is a highly esteemed position in Sweden, and the duties of ombudsmen there are similar to those of members of the Control Yuan here, which is in large part to assist in handling and investigating complaints filed by the public, he said. President Ma commented that the ombudsman system in Europe has a long tradition. The Control Yuan here, he said, can be traced back to the imperial supervisory system. While the historical origins of these systems vary, the purpose and function of these systems share many similarities, he said. The ROC's Control Yuan has 29 members and is an independent organization, the president pointed out. As a result, the organic structure is more systematic with regards to how the organization carries out its duties, he said.
President Ma furthermore said that the ROC joined the International Ombudsman Institute in 1994. Since becoming a member, it has been an active participant in the organization's activities, and it hopes to take advantage of all types of opportunities to interact with other countries. While operation of the ROC's Control Yuan was halted for a number of years, the organization resumed its functions last year. The agency is once again getting back on track, he said. President Ma expressed his hopes that this special mechanism in Taiwan will provide an avenue of service for the public and play a role outside of the separation of the three powers of the government in the West, namely the administrative, legislative and judicial branches.
Swedish Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman Melin expressed his appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. He especially praised the ROC for having established a stable democratic foundation here in just 20 years after the end of martial law. He also expressed his admiration of President Ma for his calls since taking office for the legislature to pass two international human rights covenants promoted by the United Nations. Mr. Melin said he believes many international organizations have taken note of the strong human rights environment in Taiwan. In the future, this will serve as model for Mainland China in its democratic development, he said.