FCR: What are the KMT's priorities for strengthening Taiwan's public education system?
Hansen Chien: First I'd like to make it clear that since we are the ruling party, existing government policies already reflect our views on such issues as education health insurance, air and water pollution: and transportation. These views are also reflected in the enforcement measures taken by individual government agencies responsible for policy implementation.
The KMT has been making a great effort with educational reform. We have four main goals: Easing the pressure of school entrance examinations on students at all levels establishing a reasonable distribution of educational resources; laying down guidelines for liberalizing, systemizing, and in creasing the flexibility of education; and promoting the concept of lifetime learning.
We have been taking concrete steps to achieve these goals. The Executive Yuan has set up an education reform committee. In the past year, that committee has presented two advisory reports. The Ministry of Education and other related agencies are using them as a basis for adjustments to our education system.
Starting in fiscal year 1993, the central government allocated more than NT$26 billion [US$963 million] of the annual education budget to strengthening software and hardware facilities in primary and secondary schools. We have also given a higher priority to strengthening educational resources in rural areas, in an effort to narrow the existing gap between them and urban areas. And we have set out to establish more vocational colleges, while strengthening vocational education at the junior-high level, making it possible for the business and education sectors to work together more closely.
The revision of the University Law, approved by the Legislative Yuan in 1994 altered the relationship between the Ministry of Education and the universities. It has given colleges more autonomy and allowed students and faculties to organize associations concerned with school affairs. The new Teacher Training Law and Teachers' Law have improved the teachers: licensing system while also protecting their rights and interests.
We have also been working on establishing a preschool education system, the development of a national physical education program, and drafting a special education law for Taiwan's indigenous people.
What are you doing to guarantee higher public health standards?
The purpose of the national health insurance program is to take care of those people who were originally not covered by any insurance---more than nine million of them. Over fourteen thousand clinics and hospitals, some 90 percent of the country's total, have signed on as national health insurance facilities, thus bringing medical services within convenient reach of most people. The program has considerably eased the financial burden on patients suffering from heart disease or cancer, those who have suffered strokes, and the families of premature babies. More than 180,000 seriously injured or sick people have already benefited from this program.
But this is a new program, so there are bound to be a few technical problems and hitches. We therefore propose to make a detailed evaluation of the program and revise the law to guarantee higher standards. We are also looking at the possibility of letting the private sector run the insurance side, with the government assuming the roles of manager and supervisor.
What does the KMT plan to do to solve Taiwan's air and water pollution problems?
Environmental protection is important not only to the lives, health, and development of people in Taiwan, but also to the survival of all humankind. At a meeting of the Executive Yuan in May 1993, the government drew up a list of environmental related issues and asked responsible agencies to devise solutions to the problems. In the past, the government has always taken environmental protection seriously, just as it has taken economic development seriously. For example, there is a special, cabinet-level environmental protection commission that provides consultations on environment-related policies, and participates in relevant international organizations. Taiwan has already signed environmental protection agreements with the United States and Switzerland.
The government has started to impose levies on people and organizations that pollute the air, under its "polluter pays" policy. The money collected is earmarked for pollution prevention and research into related problems, but we want to make it clear that money is not our goal. The point of levying these fees is to encourage people to use low-pollution fuels. The Environmental Protection Administration has also invited experts to express opinions on a variety of issues related to air pollution.
Regarding water pollution, the KMT has asked interested government agencies to monitor issues such as water quality in the main rivers, and to strengthen river cleaning projects. To give you two examples, there has been considerable progress in the cleaning up of the Tamsui River and in the improvement of the quality of drinking water in the Kaohsiung area.
Improper garbage disposal is a major source of water and air pollution, so we are giving priority to the construction of more disposal sites and incinerators.
What are you doing to solve transportation problems?
The chaotic traffic and parking situation in urban areas has caused people great inconvenience, and most of the planned mass rapid transit system is either still at the construction stage or in course of being tested. Therefore, for the present, the government should emphasize technical aspects, such as traffic-law enforcement, the towing away of illegally parked vehicles, and traffic control. This would ease traffic problems in urban areas.
Nor can we neglect transportation in rural areas, where the most important issue is good traffic planning, development, and management. An islandwide efficient traffic system is the key to balanced development in all areas.
Taiwan has moved to a multiparty sys tem in recent years. How will this new environment in the Legislative Yuan change the lawmaking process?
In the past, the KMT had full control over the Legislative Yuan. But now, with the growth of the two major opposition parties and the appearance of some non-affiliated legislators, it is impossible for the KMT to maintain full control. Even bills that pass in committees where we have a larger majority can be rejected during floor debates. Basically, we are facing great challenges in the legislative process.
We have never said that we want every bill to pass exactly as the KMT drafted it. With bills affecting livelihoods, for example, we are open to discussion and want to achieve what's best for the people. Sadly, however, the opposition parties reject every bill we introduce, purely on the grounds that it's the KMT introducing it. Recently, for example, the bill to promote renovation of military pensioners' villages has come under scrutiny. This is a bill that legislators should sit down and discuss. But every time we bring it up, the two opposition parties block us out. [The bill was passed in January.]
On the other hand, we don't think there is room for negotiation on bills concerning party-specific policies or attitudes. For example, we don't negotiate on the issue of Taiwan independence. Nor is there room for discussion of important cases involving government personnel, such as the organizing of a multiparty cabinet. While we are still the majority party, you can't ask us to give up our policies and support someone from another party as leader of the cabinet. That would breach a primary rule of party politics.
Basically, the opposition parties don't want a bill to pass as long as they can in crease the KMT's burden by blocking it. They see the Legislative Yuan simply as a place where they can bring down the ruling party, so they tend to politicize non-political subjects. Take the three telecommunications related bills. They were important to the liberalization and internationalization of the industry. If they had been thrown out, people would not have come to Taiwan to invest in our information industry. [In early 1996 the Legislative Yuan finally passed the three bills to open up the telecom industry; they had been blocked in the legislature for over three years.]
The KMT has never been against the idea of a "grand reconciliation" [proposed in late 1995 by the opposition political par ties]. If the DPP [Democratic Progressive Party] can only give up its Taiwan independence stance, and if the NP [New Party] stops echoing views from across the Taiwan Straits, a grand reconciliation will be inevitable.
Multiparty powwow on the floor--The efficiency of the Legislative Yuan has been an issue for many years, with problems extending from politicized procedural motions to outright fisticuffs on the floor. Any change in sight? Stay tuned.
Over the last few years, the Legislative Yuan has taken a much more active role in the oversight of government ministries and agencies. At the same time, it now takes a long time to pass the legislation vitally needed for Taiwan's continued development. What do you think needs to be done?
In the 1970s and 1980s, one important reason for the country's swift development was that the Legislative Yuan, after proper discussion, could efficiently pass relevant bills. In the 1992 legislative election, however, new legislators came in to replace old ones, and after that the Legislative Yuan was no longer a rubber stamp for the Executive Yuan. Now it's not only the opposition parties that boycott bills and budget proposals brought in by the executive branch, sometimes even KMT legislators argue against measures that might conflict with the interests of their constituents. One improvement in this area would be for the executive branch to invite legislators to participate in the drafting of bills.
It's impossible to deny that the efficiency and quality of the Legislative Yuan is unsatisfactory. Some bills have been pending for many years. I have already explained our difficulties in the Legislative Yuan. If you examine what goes on in committee or in full meetings, you find that much of the time is spent on procedural problems or extraordinary motions, mostly brought up by the opposition parties. As I've said, they tend to politicize every issue. For example, suppose a meeting has been scheduled to discuss a certain bill. The opposition are quite likely to bring up some irrelevant social issue, spend the whole morning discussing it, put all the blame on the KMT, and completely ignore the bill they were sup posed to be deliberating.
It isn't fair to put all the blame on the Legislative Yuan, however. Voters are just as much at fault. If you vote for these inefficient legislators, you have to take the consequences---however unpleasant.