Taiwan ranks high on CCW open parliament index

• By Chen Chih-cheng / Staff reporter

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The Legislative Yuan ranked the second-most open parliament among nine in Asia, but ranked second to last in accountability, Citizen Congress Watch (CCW) said yesterday.

The civic watchdog group held a news conference in Taipei to release the results of its first Asian Parliament Openness Index (APOI).

The APOI was jointly developed with partners of the Asian Alliance for Parliament Openness, with discussions on the assessment mechanism starting in 2023, it said.

From left, Citizen Congress Watch standing board member Tseng Chien-yuan, International Affairs Committee convener Wu Kun-lu and chief executive Chang Hung-lin, host a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times

After two years of discussion and revision, they established the assessment mechanism comprising 32 indicators and 54 questions presented in three key categories: “information openness,” “institutional accountability” and “civic participation,” the CCW said.

The results for nine Asian parliaments — Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Indonesia — were detailed in the report.

The Legislative Yuan ranked second overall, trailing only South Korea, but lagged far behind Japan and South Korea in the “institutional accountability” category, performing only better than Malaysia, the report showed.

Regarding ranking second in transparency, the CCW said it highlights the success of civic groups advocating and working with the legislature to promote transparent congressional reform.

CCW director Chang Hung-lin (張宏林) said Taiwan’s high overall ranking is due to the dedicated efforts of former speakers Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), Su Chia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) and You Si-kun (游錫?).

However, the group previously submitted a legislative reform pledge to the current legislature outlining necessary reforms, but legislators refused to take action, even as they are entering the final year of their term, he said.

Chang said the 11th Legislative Yuan is “an extraordinarily terrible term,” as lawmakers have not only undermined the Constitution and caused political turmoil, but also made no progress on personal transparency and integrity affairs.

Meanwhile, the Legislative Yuan scored 33.3 percent in “institutional accountability,” and zero in “disclosure of legislators’ conflicts of interest,” both falling far behind Japan and South Korea.

The CCW said opaque information regarding legislative assistants is a key factor of low accountability and while there are regulations regarding the avoidance of conflicts of interest, the Legislative Yuan lacks a comprehensive registration system, making it difficult for the public to access such information.

The “institutional accountability” score of 33 percent demonstrates that legislators are still failing to rigorously avoid conflicts of interest, Chang said.

Independent Legislator May Chin’s (高金素梅) former aide Chang Chun-chieh (張俊傑) fled the country after being indicted on suspicion of embezzling assistants’ salaries and subsidies amid a national security investigation, he said, adding that it is deeply embarrassing for Taiwan.

The report also shows that Taiwan still has room for improvement in “open congressional data” and “mechanisms for civic participation in legislation.”

Among the eight types of important legislative data, only three are in machine-readable formats and provide API integration, the CCW said.

The group said that transparency should not stop at live-streaming proceedings; it should allow people to access and track information easily, as well as participate in policy discussions.

James Kan (甘順基), a member of the group’s International Affairs Committee, said the parliamentary transparency indicators have long been standard practice in mature democracies.

Taiwan’s ability to persistently participate in discussions on “open parliament,” undeterred by political interference from hidden forces, demonstrates that Taiwan’s democracy is widely recognized across Asia, he said.

While taking pride in this achievement, Taiwan must also acknowledge its shortcomings and reflect on how to get higher points in the categories where points were deducted, he added.

Chang called on Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) to lead the Legislative Yuan to “work harder” and secure the top ranking during his tenure, warning that otherwise, someone else might take his place.