President Ma Ying-jeou and Vice President Vincent C. Siew invited the presidents, vice presidents and secretaries-general of the five yuan (i.e. the five branches of ROC government) to the Presidential Office Building on the afternoon of June 18 for a reception. This marked the third time since taking office that President Ma has invited the leaders of the five yuan to assemble for discussions. Besides elaborating on the government's achievements, the president also exchanged opinions with the yuan leaders on constitutional government, the protection of human rights, policy reform, and the direction of other government policies. President Ma expressed his hopes that strengthened communication and cooperation among the branches will help to pave the way for a Golden Decade for Taiwan.
The president first mentioned that when he took office the government faced a number of unprecedented challenges. In particular, he pointed to the financial tsunami that erupted two years ago and triggered a worldwide economic recession. In order to lay the groundwork for an economic recovery, the government adopted a series of measures, including an economic stimulus package amounting to NT$500 billion to be carried out over four years; expansion of infrastructure projects; cutting of interest rates seven times; adoption of a blanket guarantee for all bank deposits; implementation of a policy in which the government supports banks, banks support enterprises, and enterprises support laborers; reduction of inheritance taxes; issuance of consumption vouchers; relaxation of over 470 regulations; targeting of six key emerging industries for priority development; and passage of the Act for Industrial Innovation, which will encourage R&D and innovation, thereby enhancing the value and competitiveness of Taiwan's corporate sector.
President Ma said that the economy is now recovering. Economic growth rate in the first quarter posted year-on-year growth of 13.27%, the highest for a single quarter in over 30 years. In addition, the government's accounting office has revised upward Taiwan's anticipated growth for this year to 6.15% from an originally predicted 3.39%. The president furthermore pointed to Taiwan's global competitiveness ranking in the 2010 World Competitiveness Yearbook that was released by Switzerland's IMD. Taiwan's ranking jumped to eighth in the world this year, with its corporate efficiency standing at third in the world and government efficiency at sixth place. These were the best rankings ever for Taiwan, he said. At present, the government is negotiating an Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with mainland China, and the talks are nearing completion. He added that he hopes the pact will be completed and signed in the near future, which will help to normalize economic and trade ties between the two sides and foster greater globalization in Taiwan.
President Ma mentioned that in the press conference he held last month to mark the second anniversary of taking office, he unveiled the concept of a Golden Decade for Taiwan, adding that he envisions six steps to a better Taiwan, namely strengthening the country through innovation; reviving the country by promoting culture; saving the country through environmental protection; stabilizing the country by adhering to the constitution; securing the country by providing social services; and protecting the country by promoting peace.
As for stabilizing the country by adhering to the constitution, the president said that the nation's founding father Dr. Sun Yat-sen wrote in his prologue to the Constitutional History of the ROC: "A constitution is the basis for a nation's existence and protects the rights of the public." At the time, Dr. Sun lamented, "It is already the ninth year of the ROC, yet the people who so desire a constitution still do not have one. We will continue to strive until we achieve our objective." The ROC Constitution eventually took effect in 1947, and by 1991, when the government put an end to the Period of National Mobilization for Suppression of Communist Rebellion, Taiwan's democracy had become the pride of the ethnic Chinese world. President Ma said that since taking office he has never forgotten his pledge to abide by and uphold the constitution. He said that the ROC's semi-presidential system (premier and president) operates quite well. Each yuan has its respective duties, and they cooperate to fully carry out their functions as constitutionally mandated government entities.
President Ma furthermore said that during his campaign for the presidency, he mentioned his vision to promote a second stage of democracy in Taiwan. He said efforts in this regard have been ongoing over the past two years. While there are no plans to amend the constitution, legal amendments can be adopted, along with constitutional interpretations and establishment of constitutional conventions to achieve such goals. Promoting substantive reform of constitutional government, he said, will enable constitutional government to operate more smoothly.
The president explained that the constitution serves two main purposes. The first is to set forth legal requirements regarding government organizations and their operations, while the second is to protect the basic rights of the people. With regards to reform of government organizations, the president pointed to the enactment of the Organic Act of the Central Election Commission, which has enabled the Central Election Commission to truly become a politically neutral organization. Meanwhile, the Administrative Neutrality Act will prevent political interference in government administration. Promotion of amendments to the Organic Act of the Executive Yuan (Cabinet) will significantly streamline the organizational structure of the central government, he said. Revisions to the Local Government Act will adjust administrative districts and enhance the competitiveness of metropolitan areas. In terms of the judiciary, he said, the Fair and Speedy Criminal Trials Act has been passed to prevent justice from being delayed, and amendments to the Anti-Corruption Act make it a crime for defendants in corruption-related cases to refuse to explain the source of property. President Ma furthermore stated that presently the Judges Act is being formulated. It is hoped that this legislation will reward outstanding judges, while those unsuitable for their positions would be dismissed. The president also mentioned that the Examination Yuan is promoting a variety of civil service reform bills in an effort to boost service quality by the government. All of these legislative initiatives will enable the nation to achieve the objective of reform, he said. Meanwhile, the president noted that since May 20, 2008, the Justices of the Constitutional Court have released a total of 35 constitutional interpretations, which touches on many areas, including banking, legal affairs, tax law, and education, all of which are closely related to the interests of the public, he said.
President Ma stressed that in terms of establishing constitutional conventions, he has long put heavy emphasis on collaboration among the five yuan. He said he holds receptions twice annually with the presidents of the five yuan to discuss the direction of national policy. Also, based on the principle that a head of state elected by the people bears political responsibility to the electorate, he also periodically receives briefings from ministries and agencies under the Executive Yuan in order to remain abreast of the affairs of state. This not only paves the way for a smoother operation of the semi-presidential system, but also helps to promote policies across a wide spectrum. President Ma mentioned that in the beginning of this year, the Control Yuan carried out a probe in the construction of the Wenhu Line of the Taipei Mass Rapid Transit System. In the spirit of respecting the constitutional system, he exchanged opinions with members of the Control Yuan at a reception, assisting those involved in investigating the matter. This is an example of establishing a precedent in constitutional governance, he said.
With regards to the protection of basic human rights, President Ma stated that in May of last year he signed the instruments of ratification for the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Procedures to incorporate the two covenants into domestic law were completed with the promulgation of the Act to Implement the ICCPR and the ICESCR on December 10, 2009. This marks a new milestone in the protection of human rights for the people of the ROC and has brought human rights protections in Taiwan up to international standards, he said.
President Ma stated that he has consistently maintained that government should not interfere in the judicial process and that he strictly opposes illegal wiretapping. With the implementation of the Communication Protection and Interception Act, strict wiretapping standards have been implemented to ensure that any wiretapping is carried out in accordance with the law. The Ministry of Justice, he said, has also recently begun using computer monitors in prosecution hearings, thereby enabling suspects to see the full text of everything said during questioning, including both their own statements and the questions asked by the prosecutor, just as was already the case in court hearings. This boosts the preciseness and accuracy of the prosecution hearing records and reduces potential disputes down the road, thereby further protecting human rights.
President Ma stressed that the US State Department on June 14 released its 2010 Trafficking in Persons Report. Taiwan has been upgraded to a Tier 1 country in the report, which is the same level as that of the United States, he said. This achievement, the president said, is largely the result of the ROC's enforcement of the Human Trafficking Prevention and Control Act that entered into force in June 2009. The Act incorporates various articles from the Criminal Code, and calls for dealing with persons involved in sex trafficking and labor trafficking according to the law, with prison sentences of up to seven years. This brings the penalties for these offenses in line with those for other major offenses, he said. The ROC's measures in this regard have been applauded by the US government, and the legislation is highly significant in terms of protecting the human rights of the people of Taiwan and bringing standards in this regard up to international levels, he said.
The president also addressed the topic of the death penalty, which has been a highly contentious topic here recently. The president stated that while the abolishment of the death penalty is an international trend, a consensus has not been reached domestically. He said that the Ministry of Justice plans various measures in the future, such as doing away with the mandatory death penalty, and making it more difficult for those sentenced to life imprisonment to obtain parole. Restorative justice will be promoted to address harm done to victims. The ministry will also hold death penalty policy hearings in an effort to forge a consensus on the issue, he said. Meanwhile, the ministry in the near future plans to ask the Judicial Yuan to discuss the possibility of instituting a policy for trials in the court of third instance, whereby oral arguments should be heard and a unanimous decision must be reached among the judges on the collegiate bench to uphold a death sentence. The Legal Aid Center has also agreed to provide defense attorneys, he said, adding that the decision by various advanced nations to do away with the death penalty did not happen overnight. He said he hopes that in the process of forming a consensus on the matter, the government will make every effort to offer opportunities for people in opposition to express their viewpoints.
Lastly, President Ma said he hopes that these meetings with the five yuan presidents can serve as a platform for communication and promote contact among the yuan, with everyone working together in pursuit of the greatest wellbeing for the public, and to create the foundation for a Golden Decade for Taiwan.
Government leaders attending the reception included Vice President Vincent C. Siew, Premier Wu Den-yih, Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng, Judicial Yuan President Lai In-Jaw, Examination Yuan President John C. Kuan, Control Yuan President Wang Chien-shien, Vice Premier Sean C. Chen, Examination Yuan Vice President Wu Jin-lin, Control Yuan Vice President Chen Jinn-lih, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Lin Join-sane, Legislative Yuan Secretary-General Lin Hsi-shan, Judicial Yuan Secretary-General Hsieh Wen-ting, Examination Yuan Secretary-General Hwang Yea-baang, Control Yuan Secretary-General Chen Feng-yi, Presidential Secretary-General Liouyi Liao, and Presidential Deputy Secretary-General Lai Feng-wei.