A Dueling Paralysis

Just before Christmas, Taiwanese lawmakers duked it out on the legislature’s floor, in what was the latest physical clash over power involving thrown fists, chairs, water bottles, and even pig’s guts.

This time around, the president’s pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had broken into the legislature overnight by removing windows, to stop all voting by the legislative majority coalition, headed by the pro-China Kuomintang (KMT). Later, the KMT forced their way in past makeshift barricades of chairs and other furniture to evict them, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency.

The brawl, however, was really about a few bills the KMT was trying to push through, including one that critics say would give the legislature control over the Constitutional Court and that legal scholars believe is unconstitutional. Another bill would make it harder to recall elected officials by voter petitions, a long but contentious tradition in the country.

Then in January, another fight erupted over the budget – a move by the KMT to freeze defense spending. This occurred on the same day that its main ally, the United States, inaugurated a president who says Taiwan should “pay” more for US protection.

The turmoil arose after neither the DPP nor the KMT won a majority in the legislative elections a year ago, so the KMT, which won slightly more seats, formed a coalition with a minor party, the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), to take control of the legislature. This coalition has been at loggerheads with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te of the DPP ever since.

This ongoing political duel is paralyzing Taiwan, say observers, and it is doing so just as China is increasing its aggression against the country it views as a part of its territory, and as the United States seats a president that is possibly less committed to defending it.

The political situation is creating turmoil on the streets, too. Thousands of the DPP’s supporters have protested the court and petition bills over the past few months. Then in January, new protests broke out over the prosecution of the head of the TPP, Ko Wen-je, for corruption. Protesters blamed the president.

When Taiwan’s parliament voted on Jan. 20 to freeze billions of dollars in defense spending, that included funding for half of Taiwan’s submarine program and its expenditure on military operations, making up 44 percent of the defense budget. The US is the country’s main arms supplier, and the country’s main threat is China, which despite never having controlled Taiwan, has pledged to take it by force.

Over the past year, China has accelerated its diplomatic and military efforts to isolate and intimidate the island: Chinese military activity in Taiwanese waters and airspace is now near daily occurrences. China has the world’s largest standing army and spends about 11 times more on defense than Taiwan.

As a result, the budget freeze set off tremors within the government. The move was “suicidal,” said Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai, echoing other officials who lamented it also sent “the wrong signal to the United States.”

The US has maintained a close security partnership with Taiwan for decades even though the two don’t have formal diplomatic relations. The US, by law, is obligated to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. However, the law is vague regarding a reaction to an invasion, something known as “strategic ambiguity.”

Some Taiwanese, meanwhile, worry the US won’t live up to its commitments. Others are more sanguine.

“I don’t think there is panic in Taipei because we dealt with this situation before and we have confidence in our congressional support in the US,” Lai I-Chung, president of the Taiwan-based Prospect Foundation think tank, told VOA. “The mood (in Taiwan) is we will be careful and watchful.”

But many say they worry that the political bickering, turmoil, and divisions are undermining the country’s image of stability and prosperity, giving China a victory.

“The nation’s interests are being undermined,” said Cho, adding that a “hostile China will be very satisfied.”