Little Chili Pepper: An Interview with Hung Hsiu-chu

Q: You are the ROC’s first woman deputy legislative speaker. Does your ascendance represent the realization of gender equality in politics? What challenges are you facing in your new role?

A: All along I’ve felt that I wasn’t elected to be deputy speaker because I was a woman, but rather because I had experience and had waited my turn. As opposed to the executive branch, the legislature respects seniority. Here seniority represents expertise and experience. For instance, many newly elected legislators don’t understand how bills are created and adopted. I am able to pull back the curtains to give them an understanding of how the process works. And because I have always discussed issues on their merits and avoided political cliques, I have good relations with most members of the Legislative Yuan.

My greatest regret with the change is that I’ve lost the joy I took from questioning officials in Legislative Yuan conference sessions. Now I can only discuss issues with other KMT legislators in party meetings.

Nevertheless, along with the speaker, I have the good fortune to handle diplomatic duties for the Legislative Yuan. When only a few nations in the world have formal diplomatic relations with the ROC, the Legislative Yuan provides the nation with its best tool for diplomacy via legislature-to-legislature contacts, which can advance to actual lobbying of foreign governments and more support for Taiwan. When receiving foreign dignitaries, I make every effort to appear broadminded and dignified, so that they will naturally come away with a good impression of Taiwan.

During the elections for the ROC’s fifth Legislative Yuan, Hung’s supporters swept through the streets with their candidate on large motorbikes.

Q: Where has your motivation come from during more than 20 years in politics? Where do you take a sense of accomplishment?

A: I wouldn’t say that I have any special personal ambitions when it comes to politics, but I have thrown myself into the work heart and soul. From that I’ve taken a sense of accomplishment and self-worth.

I like carrying out legislative reviews of bills and budgets. Because a good piece of legislation can benefit so many people, it’s very meaningful work. There used to be a constitutional requirement that education receive at least 15% of the total budget. Later, because educational expenditures became excessive around 1990, the requirement was eliminated. Yet because education is so vital, I sponsored the Compilation and Administration of Education Expenditures Act. In November of 2000 the act was passed; it ensures reasonable baseline expenditures but also allows for flexibility.

Or take another example: it used to be that Taiwan hadn’t implemented separation of prescribing and dispensing (SPD). When we were amending the National Health Insurance Act, I lobbied for SPD, and so today we not only guarantee the rights of pharmacists to dispense medical prescriptions, we have also created another level of drug safety for all citizens.

Q: Elected representatives must spend a lot of time serving their constituents, but they also need to supervise the executive branch by reviewing bills and budgets and by questioning officials. How do you strike a balance between the two?

A: Legislators must understand that their focus should be on national development and the citizenry’s well-being. Whether going out to conduct inspections or holding hearings at the Legislative Yuan, we’ve got to be high-minded and farsighted. Although managing one’s constituency is important, you can’t regard serving in the legislature as something akin to being a neighborhood chief or serving on a city council. When looking at local infrastructure, one must first consider the overall deployment of national resources.

In reality, some nations have already revised their systems, assigning half of their legislative seats to “at-large” legislators who are not attached to any particular district, so as to ensure that political parties nominate professionals who can properly fulfill their duties.

Taking great joy in participating in public interest events, Hung, in the eyes of volunteers, is a passionate and humorous older sister.

Voters will of course expect you to fulfill their needs. Sometimes I just laugh in response: “Forgive me. My legs are short and I’m only one person. I can’t keep pace. So I’ll just work hard in the legislature. That will be good for everyone.” Most voters can appreciate that.

But sometimes constituents have demands that are a little unreasonable. I often sigh that people like to criticize legislators for enjoying special privileges, but when they come to you with their own request to support their special interests, they are eager for you to pull out all the stops. Their attitude becomes: “If I could do this myself on the straight and narrow, then why would I have come to you?” It’s a double standard.

When they won’t “listen to reason,” I’ll say something like: Accomplishing what you want will be difficult, but I’m willing to try. Then I may have a civil servant come and explain where the legal issues and difficulties are, giving the constituent a full understanding of our sincerity and devotion to duty. Even if they aren’t fully satisfied, they will at least be more understanding.

The Legislative Yuan is kind of like a Taoist monastery. I treat it like I’m going there to engage in spiritual cultivation. Whatever the threats or enticements, you must remain cool and unmoved, and stay calm under pressure.

At the end of 2001, then Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou campaigned for legislative candidate Hung Hsiu-chu.

Q: In terms of political equality of the sexes, how much room for improvement is there in Taiwan? Would you please give some advice to women going into politics?

A: When you examine the civil-service hierarchy, you quickly realize that there is of course room for improvement. Currently, there are a lot of women at the bottom, but a lower proportion of them advance to higher levels. Factors include the following: Women are still fettered by traditional notions that their place is in the home, and, by putting more emphasis on their families, they are less willing to be stationed overseas or take work that requires them to leave the office.

Secondly, those in positions of authority may intentionally or otherwise decide that women aren’t up to shouldering heavy responsibilities. Yet there is growing acceptance of gender equality in the political realm. When men and women have the same qualifications for a position, women should be given priority so as to gradually even out the male-female ratio at higher levels. What’s more, orderly steps need to be taken to cultivate personnel, so that talented women in particular are cared for and brought forward.

As for the younger generation of women entering politics, let me quote Confucius: “Rather than worrying about lacking an official position, worry instead about lacking proper qualifications!” The first thing you need to do is improve yourself. And when you get an opportunity, you’ve got to do the job better than well, so as not to fail those who gave you the chance. Moreover, you’ve got to blaze a trail for those who follow. Serving as an elected representative of the people, you’ve got to understand how to operate at the grassroots level, and you’ve got to understand how to build a foundation of knowledge and expertise, giving people a chance to understand you and go on to identify with you and give you their sustained support.

Let me offer this advice to newly seated legislators: Spend some time watching how senior legislators behave, raise motions from the floor, and attend national policy forums to practice speaking. Learn more and don’t be impatient. When you think things through, you’ll naturally be able to make contributions.

Q: Most female politicians in Taiwan are single. What are your thoughts on this? How do you personally manage your life as a single?

A: You’re behind the times if you regard singlehood as an unhealthy state or personal loss. I certainly don’t view remaining single as a sacrifice. Feelings are reliant on fate: when you meet the right person, you’ll naturally get married.

Most people only see our mean sides during legislative debates and never get a chance to see our gentle sides, and consequently decades of my youth have slipped by! (Laughs.)

Looking back on the path I’ve taken, I don’t have any regrets. I often joke: If any of my old beaus came back in my life, I wouldn’t consider marrying them. They were all good guys, and being together felt good at first, but after a while I’d lose patience with whoever I was with, and I’d think: How stupid is this person? I’ve been explaining this point for so long and he still doesn’t get it? I’m sure he might be pretty annoyed too, thinking: You spend all day out talking to other people, but when you return to me you don’t want to pay me any attention.

So I often say that married and single women shouldn’t be envious of each other. The advantage of being single is that the world is vast and it’s our duty to roam its immense spaces. My mother likes to repeat a maxim: “If you haven’t eaten anything all day, then it is still morning. If you haven’t married yet, then you’re still young.” Because I haven’t married, my mental state remains full of morning energy.

Q: The other day you led a group to the mainland to attend the Straits Forum. What was achieved?

A: When we were in session, I looked out toward the audience and saw only a mass of people, but I heard that there were more than 2000 people there. I quoted Du Fu during the forum: “Friendship transcends differences in age, so why must people agree on everything before they can become friends?” By this, I meant that when it comes to cross-strait relations we should “seek common ground but tolerate differences of opinion.” The collective goal is to seek peace and stable development. As for tolerating differences of opinion, it’s as KMT Chairman Ma put it: “Setting aside disputes about sovereignty, let’s pragmatically deal with the realities of partition.”

I also made an emotional appeal there: With the unbreakable bonds of shared culture and blood, what problems between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait can’t be discussed? What issues can’t be resolved? We ask the opposite side to “understand, empathize with and be considerate” of Taiwan, and to understand the feelings of the Taiwanese people. Acknowledge that we are small but beautiful and extend us courtesy.

Focusing on how to construct a platform for cross-strait peace, I proposed four ideas for exchange: continue to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, continue high-level educational exchanges, hold cross-strait cultural forums and develop cultural industries, and finally—and this is something that no one has proposed before—restore historical accuracy, including about the history of the KMT and the CPC, so that the next generation can share common values. Only by so doing will we be able to resolve these cross-strait issues.

In this cross-strait conversation, we want to be neither too servile nor too domineering. We have our point of view and our dignity, and we are invested in the cross-strait peace process. We also hope that the other side can come to truly understand Taiwan’s hopes and principles.