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Excerpt from timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Supporters of Taiwan’s new president are protesting an attempt by the China-leaning opposition to curtail his powers.
On Tuesday, lawmakers from the Kuomintang kicked off the final steps toward passing a law that would require President Lai Ching-te to deliver an address to them every year, appear separately to answer questions and provide a range of documents when asked.
The law would also allow officials to be jailed if they are found lying to the legislature — a change that has the potential to bog Lai’s officials down in court proceedings.
The proposed legislation could be passed in the coming days and make it difficult for Lai to govern the chip hub at the epicenter of US-China tensions. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party says the bill is being rushed through the legislature without enough consultation, while the KMT insists all the proper procedures have been followed.
“It appears to be an attempt to weaken the government’s ability to govern effectively,” said Wen-ti Sung, a Taipei-based nonresident fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub.