Cold-Blooded Hypocrisy of Legislature More Regrettable than Kaohsiung Gas Explosion

Cold-Blooded Hypocrisy of Legislature More Regrettable than Kaohsiung Gas Explosion
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
August 5, 2014

Summary: Frankly, those responsible for causing the gas explosion in Kaohsiung have already surfaced. Future claims, investigations, and reconstruction, can be addressed without difficulty, one at a time. By contrast, legislative negligence, playing politics, and hypocrisy, have left Taiwan's economy and democracy in a shambles. The result has been a thousand times worse than the Kaohsiung gas explosion. This legislature is out of touch with public opinion. It is out of touch with the pulse of the nation. It is indeed "too cold-blooded."

Full Text Below:

The Legislative Yuan was supposed to review the FEPZ Bill yesterday. Instead it invoked the Kaohsiung gas explosion as a pretext for further foot-dragging. KMT Legislator Huang Chau-shun said, "Disaster relief must come first." DPP Legislator Cheng Lam-toi said, "If we don't halt our review now, then we are out of touch with public sentiment, and too cold-blooded!" Meanwhile, the PFP proposed swift consideration of "Kaohsiung gas explosion disaster recovery special regulations" and the approval of a suitable budget.

The Kaohsiung gas explosion disaster has inflicted nationwide pain. Beginning today, the national flag will be flown at half mast for three days. This is a disaster people must not forget. But disaster relief is disaster relief. Reconstruction is reconstruction. Other major national policy and general livelihood issues must still be dealt with, as usual. This is the only way a nation can maintain its equilibrium. Therefore the assertion that legislative routine would cold-bloodedly undermine disaster relief is ludicrous. If this were true, then Legislative Yuan should not review bills during a disaster. Then factories should shut down all over Taiwan. Then people should stop working and stop going to class. Then people should roll up their sleeves and head south to take part in disaster relief. Either that, or the entire nation should shut themselves in and do nothing but weep?

When advanced democracies experience such a tragedy, legislators merely hold a minute of silence before returning to doing what they are supposed to do. Each person guards his post, each person fulfills his duty. This is how an orderly nation remains on track. Within the affected areas in Kaohsiung, victims have been provided with accomodations and donated materiel. Support from the military and other counties and cities is already in place. All that remains is the determination of responsibility and reconstruction. Prosecutors are alreaddy investigating those responsible. Unless legislators want to seize the opportunity to engage in mud-slinging, they have no reason to meddle. Reconstruction will require local and central governments compiling a to-do list, clarifying divisions of responsibility in the public sector and the private sector, and preparing a redevelopment plan. At that point there may be something to discuss. For the moment, the Kaohsiung City Government is still clueless about what to do. If the Legislative Yuan discusses reconstruction or rehabilitation during the special session, then it is building castles in the sky.

In fact the legislature is probably the "hardest hit disaster area" in the nation today, even harder hit than the Kaohsiung gas explosion disaster area. One. The FEPZ bill, the FTA, the Cross-Strait Agreements Oversight Bill and other major economic bills remain stuck in the Legislative Yuan, which does nothing about them. Among these, the oversight bill was supposed to "first legislate, then review." Now it has come to, "not legislated, not reviewed." Therefore who knows when the STA will see the light of day. The Legislative Yuan is the "hardest hit disaster area" when the issue is national decision-making. That much is certainly true.

Two. The country has steadily grown. It relied on the tireless daily operation of a solid rule of law foundation and administrative infrastructure. The legislature's responsibility is the establishment of the rule of law. But our legislature simply loves to intervene on behalf of irrelevant short-term issues. It shifts with the winds, and shirks its duty. Consider the Kaohsiung propene disaster. First, the city government routinely neglects its underground pipelines. Secondly, when disaster strikes, it lacks professional disaster intelligence. As a result, the public is endangered. In recent years blue vs. green battles in the Legislative Yuan frequently led to forcible occupations of the podium. Their hypocrisy, indolence, and callousness, treats people like straw dogs and the affairs of the nation like children's games. Green camp caucus secretary general Tsai Chi-chang opposed a review of the FEPZ Bill. He said the KMT caucus wanted "to keep the common people in mind." But when has the DPP caucus ever kept the wishes of the common people in mind?

Three. The Kaohsiung gas explosion disaster is hard to bear. But compared to Taiwan's economy in recent years, with the attendant suffering and no solution in sight, what is worse? The gas explosion has already happened. We are now in the post-disaster investigation and reconstruction phase. But Taiwan's political and economic disaster is a crisis that continues to deepen with long delays and day after day of prevarication in the Legislative Yuan. The PRC-ROK FTA will be signed by the end of the year. This poses a major threat. Taiwan's industrial competitiveness is about to be washed away in a landslide. Yet ruling and opposition party legislators have gone so far as to assert that the Kaohsiung gas explosion must be given priority, and that they are in no hurry to hear the bill. Consider this superficial, short-sighted, cart before the horse mindset. How does it differ from the way LCY Chemical neglected its pipeline and concealed the leak? How does it differ from the way the Kaohsiung City Government deceived itself and others about the propene gas leak?

Kaohsiung reconstruction must have central government support and cooperation before it can be completed. That cannot be denied. But that hardly means that the affairs of state must all be shut down in the meantime, and all support thrown behind Kaohsiung. In fact, rescue work is being carried out with the help of the entire nation. People have expressed spontaneous enthusiasm. Under the circumstances, the legislature should be trying to rescue the "hardest hit disaster area" under its jurisdiction. It should clear the docket of delayed and neglected bills as soon as possible. The Kaohsiung gas explosion investigation and prosecution, should be left to judicial authorities and responsible agencies. We have not seen any legislators with any special knowledge in this area.

Frankly, those responsible for causing the gas explosion in Kaohsiung have already surfaced. Future claims, investigations, and reconstruction, can be addressed without difficulty, one at a time. By contrast, legislative negligence, playing politics, and hypocrisy, have left Taiwan's economy and democracy in a shambles. The result has been a thousand times worse than the Kaohsiung gas explosion. This legislature is out of touch with public opinion. It is out of touch with the pulse of the nation. It is indeed "too cold-blooded."

立法院的冷血虛偽，比高雄氣爆更可悲
【聯合報╱社論】
2014.08.05 03:36 am

立法院原訂昨日開審的《自由經濟示範區特別條例》，卻以「高雄氣爆」為由，再告延期。國民黨立委黃昭順說：「救災第一。」民進黨立委林岱樺說：「此時還不停審，就是與民意脫節，太冷血了！」親民黨則主張盡速研擬「高雄氣爆災變復原特別條例」並備妥預算。

高雄的氣爆災變，舉國傷痛，自今起連三日降半旗致哀，這是人民不可或忘的災難。但是，救災歸救災，重建歸重建，其他重大國政及一般民生仍應照常進行，這才是一個國家保持均衡運作之道。因此，若謂此時立法院照表運作，就會影響「救災第一」，就是「太冷血」，簡直是荒誕之談。如果這種論調成立的話，立院在災期中不應審議法案，全台工廠是否也應停工，人們停止上班上課，大家捲袖子南下救災，或者全民在家閉門垂淚？

若是在先進民主國家，遇上這種事，國會議員只要在會前集體默哀一分鐘，然後即回頭做自己該做的事。如此，各守崗位，各盡職責，才是一個制度化國家的運作常軌。以目前高雄災區的狀況，災民的安置和物資的捐輸皆已落實，國軍和外縣市的支援也已到位，所剩就是究責及重建的問題。究責方面，檢方已經著手調查，除非立委想要藉機打口水戰，否則只怕不是他們所能插手；至於重建，則有賴地方與中央整理出需求清單，釐清公部門和私部門的責任界線，並據以擬出重建計畫，然後才可能有討論的依據。目前高雄市府仍漫無頭緒，在立院臨時會要討論重建或復原，根本是空中樓閣。

事實上，相較於高雄氣爆的災情，立法院恐怕才是國家此時真正的「重災區」。這可從三方面檢視：第一、示範區條例、服貿協議、兩岸協議監督條例等重大經濟法案，皆卡在立院多時，立法院卻毫不作為。其中，《監督條例》原本說「先立法，再審查」，如今卻儼然演成「不立法，不審查」；如此，服貿協議更不知何年何月才能見到天日。立法院是國家決策怠惰的「重災區」，一點不假。

第二、國家的穩健成長，靠的是法制基礎建設的穩固及行政日常運作之不懈。國會的責任，是在建立法制；但我們的立法院卻偏愛插手各種與己無關的短期議題，掀風作浪，棄自己的職責於不顧。且看這次高雄丙烯釀災，一則是市府平日對地下管線疏於管理，二則是在救災時缺乏應有的專業智能，因而置市民於險境。對照立院近年在藍綠惡鬥中動輒杯葛霸台，其虛偽、怠惰和冷血，不也正是把百姓當芻狗、把治國當兒戲嗎？綠營黨團書記長蔡其昌在反對審查《示範區條例》時說，國民黨團要「以蒼生為念」；試問，民進黨團心中又何曾以蒼生為念？

第三、高雄的氣爆災難固令人不忍，但比起台灣經濟近年苦無出路的危機，兩相比較，究竟孰重孰輕？氣爆的不幸已經發生，而情勢已進入災後調查重建階段；但台灣的政經災情，在立法院日復一日的推諉、拖延之下，危機卻仍在加深。在中韓自貿協議年底前即將簽定的大限威脅下，台灣產業的競爭力正土崩石流地消逝；此時，朝野立委竟還敢說高雄氣爆才是優先事項，不急著審理法案。這種膚淺短視、顛倒本末的心態，跟李長榮化工放任管線年久失修並隱瞞外洩，以及市府用對付瓦斯的方式來處理丙烯外洩的自欺欺人心態，有何兩樣？

不可諱言，高雄的災後重建，必須要有中央的支持與配合才可能完成；然而，這並不是說所有的國家大事皆應停擺，只集中全力支援高雄。事實上，救援工作正以舉國之心力進行，民眾的自發參與熱情也毫不稍遜；在這種情況下，立法院要做的，應該是努力搶救自己轄內的「重災區」，盡速對國會延宕、怠忽、綁架的法案進行清理與審查，才是正道。至於高雄氣爆的調查與處理，應該交由司法單位及相關行政部門執行即可；至少，我們看不出立委有何特別高明的專業可以過問此事。

老實說，高雄的氣爆事件發展至今，相應的責任因果都已逐漸浮上枱面；日後的索賠、究責與重建，將不難一一循序完成。相形之下，立法院怠忽職守、玩弄政治、虛偽矯情留給台灣經濟和民主的災難，恐怕將千百倍於高雄氣爆。這樣的立法院，難道不是與民意脫節，與國家的命脈脫節，更難道不是「太冷血」了！