30,000 Taiwanese Protest Legislature "Blackboxing" In Heavy Rain
Over 30,000 protesters hit the streets of Taipei, Taiwan last night to voice their disapproval of Kuomintang and the Taiwan People's Party's attempt to "blackbox" three bills in the legislature.
TAIPEI, May 22 (Eric R Stone) – Over 30,000 anti-black boxing protesters hit the streets of Taipei last night amidst heavy rains, according to organizers. One protester was photographed in a soaked raincoat holding the sign “I can be [left out] in the rain, but democracy can’t.”
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The protestors surrounded the Legislative Yuan, filling the streets around Qingdao E. Rd., the intersection of Zhongshan S. Rd. and Jinan Rd., and Zhongxiao E. Rd.
Other signs included the slogans: “Blackboxing parliament is the killer of democracy,” and “Shame on you, KMT (Kuomintang) and TPP (Taiwan People’s Party), for selling out the nation [and] blackboxing!”
Blackboxing Accusations
Increasingly large protests have erupted since the KMT and TPP were accused of joint “blackboxing” – or purposefully concealing the content of three bills up until the moment they’re voted on – all following the legislature violence incident on May 17.
At the core of the blackboxing accusations is the assertion that the final revisions for the bills weren’t made available to the DPP until the day of the vote.
While minor revisions are allowed in the legislature, according to legislator Rosalia Wu, the KMT and TPP tried to propose a completely new version of the bundle different from all of the previous versions made available to them online,
Wu noted that TPP legislator Huang Kuo-Chang spoke of the revisions in a May 16 livestream, “smugly saying they were top-secret” — thus suggesting this proved his intent to blackbox the bills.
Taipei Bar Association’s Statement
As of May 18, the Taipei Bar Association (TBA) has supported these accusations in a statement criticizing the KMT and TPP’s actions posted to the organization’s website.
In the statement, the TBA criticized the 2-party faction for attempting to force bills through by means of superior numbers without allowing a discussion prior to the vote.
The organization didn’t mince words, accusing them of “depriving the people of the opportunity to participate in a discussion of a major decision” by withholding this information from an opposing party.
The call for a vote by raising of hands was further criticized as a disorderly violation of just procedure, and an outdated practice that “hadn’t been used in over 30 years.”
About Eric R Stone
Eric R Stone is a freelance journalist and translator in Taiwan. He writes about Taiwan, cross-strait politics, and human rights. He also translates Buddhist and Taoist scripture and commentaries. In his free time, he DMs a Mandarin Dungeons & Dragons campaign for his Taiwanese friends.
Editors can contact Eric at ericrstone@pm.me.