Evolution and Adaptation

The retirement of 82 senior members from the Legislative Yuan at the end of December represents the biggest transformation to that body in the 43 years since the establishment of the Constitution.

Once it consists solely of supplementary legislators and then solely of legislators elected in the general elections later in the year, the Legislative Yuan will doubtless have a greater foundation of public support. But after such an overnight change, can parliamentary ethics and behavior be established on a firm footing? Will the physical confrontations that have become international news finally cease? Will the pressure of seeking reelection every three years cause the legislators to reflect the will of the public more closely--or will they only cozy up to moneyed interests? There's no denying the fact that some of the supplemental representatives aren't as diligent as they should be about legislative affairs and that sometimes the only reason there's a quorum is the presence of the older members. What will it be like now?

The achievements and errors of the past belong to history--it's the future that's concerns us now. At this crucial juncture, we present special interviews with the president of the Legislative Yuan, Liang Su-yung, and its vice-president, Liu Sung-fan, in which they look back on the conflicts of the past two years and offer insightful views of the challenges ahead.