Citizen Congress Watch 10th Term 7th Session Legislative Evaluation Results and Cumulative Performance Announcement Press Conference

Since its establishment in 2007, the Citizen Congress Watch (CCW) has accumulated 16 years of experience in evaluating legislators, totaling 31 evaluations to date. CCW is the leading label in parliamentary evaluation in Taiwan and the only organization domestically assessing legislators to be observed. On Tuesday, October 3, CCW announced the final legislative evaluation results before the 2024 general elections. During the 7th Session, 27 members received the honor of being recognized as “Outstanding Legislators,” 2 members received “Special Contribution” awards for this session, and 4 members were designated as “to be Observed” legislators. This press conference will also compile a comprehensive list of outstanding and “to be Observed” legislators from the 1st to the 7th session of the 10th term, along with relevant performance data. Voters should consider parliamentary evaluation results as a reference for their voting decisions, supporting exceptional legislators who are dedicated to parliamentary affairs and using their votes to remove unfit legislators.

Final Public Announcement Before the Election! In the 7th Session of the 10th Term, CCW’s Parliamentary Evaluation Recognizes 27 Members as “Outstanding Legislators!”

In the 7th Session of the 10th Term Legislative Evaluation, a total of 27 “Outstanding Legislators” were selected. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus had 20, the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) caucus had 3, the New Power Party (NPP) caucus had 3, and 1 Independent (no party affiliation) “Outstanding Legislator.” In the "to be Observed" list, DPP's representative was legislator Yu Tian, while the Kuomintang (KMT) caucus was represented by legislators Lin,Wen-Jui, Kung, Wen-Chi, and Chen Chao-Ming.

Table 1: List of Outstanding Legislators, Legislators to be Observed, and Special Contribution Award Recipients in the 7th Session of the 10th Term Legislative Yuan

CCW’s legislative evaluation process consists of two stages: the initial review and the secondary review. The initial review involves five evaluation subcommittees: the "Basic Performance and Citizen Evaluation Subcommittee," the "Speech and Conduct Evaluation Subcommittee," the "Legislative Bill Evaluation Subcommittee," the "Budget Bill Evaluation Subcommittee," and the "Evaluation Subcommittee for the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Party Caucus Leaders." This stage lasts approximately six months and includes four reviews of evaluation methods and one focus group discussion. Additionally, a parliamentary assistant evaluation briefing was held at the Legislative Yuan. After 17 initial review meetings and a total of 1,493 citizen-evaluated legislator questioning videos, the secondary review took place on September 24th. During the secondary review, the committee members based their decisions on the results of the initial review and collectively determined the outstanding legislators, outstanding legislators (party caucus leaders), and legislators to be observed in the 7th session of the 10th term.

Legislators to be Observed is out! Yu Tian Secures Fifth Consecutive Term in the 10th Term, Lin Wen-Rui, Chen Chao-Ming, Kong Wen-Chi Make the List!

The list of legislators to be observed in this session includes four members. They are Lin Wen-Rui (KMT) from the Internal Affairs Committee, Kong Wen-Chi (KMT) and Chen Chao-Ming (KMT) from the Economic Committee, and Yu Tian (DPP) from the Finance Committee. Looking back at the legislative evaluation results for the 10th term's seven sessions, Yu Tian, a member of the DPP, has consistently been on the list of legislators to be observed for almost every session. This raises questions about why, as a legislator receiving significant public funding annually, his performance in exercising legislative duties has not reflected this support.

A closer look at Yu Tian's (DPP) performance in the Finance Committee shows that while his attendance and participation rates are similar to the committee's average, his number of oral inquiries during this session has once again been low, to the point where the public could not even find any relevant questioning footage on parliamentary channels. Furthermore, though the 7th session was not a budget session, the Finance Committee still had budget items to discuss. However, public records show that Yu Tian did not propose any budget items for discussion. This leaves people wondering if there were genuinely no budget items in need of discussion, review, or improvement.

In addition, Lin Wen-Rui (KMT) did not lead any legal proposals during this session, and Kong Wen-Chi (KMT) had an attendance rate in the Economic Committee of less than 60%. Similarly, Chen Chao-Ming (KMT), also a member of the Economic Committee, had a participation rate in bill and budget reviews of less than 40%, only 33%, significantly lower than the committee's average. All these signs indicate that these legislators to be observed have lived up to their reputation, as their performance in parliament does not match the expectation from an opposition party.

CCW emphasizes that submitting bills and budgets is not enough; substantial participation in their review is essential to truly implement the spirit of legislative expertise. The principle of checks and balances is fundamental in a democratic rule of law, and the three main duties of legislative power are to supervise the executive branch, budget review, and legislation.

People elect legislators with the expectation that they will represent them in supervising the executive branch, uncovering administrative shortcomings, and improving administrative efficiency; this is the primary responsibility of legislators. Neglecting their authority to question, review bills, and scrutinize budgets effectively makes them complicit in incorrect governance. If this is not a dereliction of duty, then what is?

Pre-election Chaos Erupts as the KMT Caucus Forces Entry into Independent Agencies! Party Caucus Leaders Outstanding Legislators Evaluation for the 7th Session is Vacant!

The 7th session of the 10th term has been marked by a series of political developments and controversies, in addition to the ruling party's rush to pass bills. This session has seen various party nominations and primaries for presidential and legislative candidates, resulting in a continuous political buzz. Legislators have been embroiled in the imB fraud case, allegations of parliamentary assistants serving as straw men for bribery, opposition party interventions in the operations of independent agencies, and the Taiwan “Me Too” movement that erupted in June. The initial review committee members discussed each case of inappropriate speech and behavior, as well as legal issues independently. Notably, on May 3rd, the KMT caucus forcibly entered a meeting of the National Communications Commission (NCC), setting a precedent for legislators openly intervening in the operations of an independent agency. From its inception, the CCW has aspired to see Taiwan's parliament evolve into a "civilized parliament." Such actions clearly violate the spirit of legislators' rational questioning, which not only hinders the resolution of relevant issues but also harms the image of our country's democratic politics. In addition, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus has not effectively fulfilled its role in communication and coordination, leading to a generally negative public perception. Taking into account individual performances and caucus performances, it was decided by the evaluation subcommittees that the category of "Outstanding Legislators (Party Caucus Leaders)" be left vacant for this session.

In this session, a total of 61 legislators voluntarily disclosed information about the employment of their assistants. CCW commends Member Chen Yi-Shin for taking the first step within his party to promote "transparency"

CCW has been closely observing parliamentary reform issues, with a particular focus on the hiring of public-paid assistants, an area of concern for the organization. Throughout the discussion process, CCW has maintained close communication with the Taipei City Parliamentary Assistant Professional Union. However, CCW advocates for transparency as a starting point for reform. Therefore, until special legislation is passed, the organization hopes that legislators will voluntarily provide relevant conflict of interest information, including lobbying registration, inspection expenses, dual employment in profit-making enterprises, and the hiring status of public-paid assistants.

In this session, a total of 61 legislators submitted information disclosure forms (see Table Three for each party's submission). It is worth noting that the KMT caucus in the Legislative Yuan has boycotted CCW’s legislative evaluation since the 4th session of the 10th term, refusing to disclose members' conflict of interest information for public scrutiny. However, through multiple communications and written contacts between both parties, KMT legislator Chen Yi-Shin has shown willingness to make this important information public. CCW commends this effort and hopes that more legislators from various parties will proactively disclose conflict of interest avoidance information to the public. Additionally, CCW expresses its special thanks to the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) and the New Power Party (NPP) for submitting their information disclosure forms, setting a new example for new politics.

Member Ma Wen-Chun's former office director is suspected of acting as a straw man. CCW calls for the prompt launch of the legislators' conflict of interest disclosure platform

        During the 7th session, several controversies involving parliamentary assistants came to light. These included the indictment of former TPP legislator Gao Hong-An for fraudulently claiming legislative assistant fees, allegations of KMT legislator Cheng Tian-Cai's office director Zhang Teng-Long acting as a straw man for bribery, and more recently, accusations against KMT legislator Ma Wen-Chun's former executive director Yang Guo-Liang for allegedly using his position to exert pressure on the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) to favor a specific company. These cases have sparked intense public discussion. If we look closely, Member Ma Wen-Chun had no records of voluntarily disclosing information about assistant hiring during her tenure in the 10th term.

Moreover, during the summer of this year, CCW actively met with the four major party caucuses in the Legislative Yuan, hoping that an official legislator's conflict of interest disclosure platform could be established in the next session, allowing legislator offices to voluntarily register. This is one of the important reform initiatives for opening up the parliamentary committees in this term. CCW has also actively reached out to inquire whether each legislator's office is willing to disclose information for public reference before the election. Despite the official website being set up, the platform has yet to go live. This delay raises questions about which political party is harboring undisclosed secrets that cannot be scrutinized by the public. CCW strongly urges the official version of the legislator's conflict of interest disclosure platform to be successfully launched in the final session, ensuring that the achievements of this term in opening up the parliament are not in vain.

Table Three: Proportion of Information Disclosure Forms Submitted by Political Parties in the 7th Session of the 10th Term

  *Note 1: There are a total of 112 legislators in this table because legislator Lin Yi-Hua from Taipei City's sixth electoral district resigned and was not replaced by a by-election.

Legislator Fan Yun and Legislator Lin Shu-Fen received the "Special Contribution Award for the 7th Session of the 10th Term"

Legislator Fan Yun's office reported that it has been actively addressing and resolving the issue of substitute teachers since 2021, which not only affects teachers' labor rights but also the educational rights of students across Taiwan. The issue covers various aspects, including teacher quotas, education budgets, local finances, complete tenure, teacher mentoring, and administrative positions. It has been a long-standing problem resulting from the centralized-local decentralization structure of the education system. Legislator Fan Yun's office initiated cooperation with other legislator offices to improve the protection of substitute teachers' rights through amendments to the National Education Act. This included ensuring that substitute teachers receive salary adjustments during summer and winter vacations, as well as encouraging local governments to open more regular teaching positions. The Public Censorship Association also consulted with the National Teachers' Union and the Substitute and Substitute Teachers Industry Union during the process to understand the consultations conducted by legislator offices, civil society groups, and experts and scholars. After deliberations in the review committee, it was decided to award Legislator Fan Yun with the Special Contribution Award for this term.

Additionally, during this term, there were 12 versions of the Mining Act proposed for the third reading. The Public Censorship Association also consulted the Taiwan Environmental Information Association, which has been closely monitoring the progress of amendments to the Mining Act for a long time. It was observed that Legislator Lin Shu-Fen has been pushing for amendments to the Mining Act since the controversy over Asia Cement's mining rights extension in March 2017. Despite collecting over 250,000 signatures for mining reform that year, the bill went through 11 reviews and four cross-party negotiations but still failed to complete the third reading in the ninth term. Eventually, the efforts fell short. In the tenth term, the Legislative Yuan and civil society groups re-engaged with the executive branch and focused on substantial land use checks in the Mining Act. Finally, on May 26 of this year, the Mining Act passed its third reading. After deliberations in the review committee, it was decided to award Legislator Lin Shu-Fen with the Special Contribution Award for this term, recognizing her unwavering spirit in pushing for reform in this bill. The Public Censorship Association also awarded additional points for qualitative evaluation of other legislators' efforts in promoting the Sunshine Philanthropy Act. It is expected that more legislators will make good use of their legislative powers to advocate for significant public interests. The Public Censorship Association will not hesitate to grant the Special Contribution Award for this term.

The award for the "Tenth Special Contribution Award" was presented to Vice President Tsai Chi-Chang in recognition of his contributions to parliamentary transparency!

During his tenure as Vice President of the Legislative Yuan, Tsai Chi-Chang actively implemented the spirit of parliamentary transparency in Taiwan's legislature. As Vice President for two terms, he systematically broke down the stereotype of legislative secrecy, making the legislative process more transparent. Now, citizens can easily watch their elected representatives' performance in the legislature through online streaming or television broadcasts. He also promoted the presence of citizen journalists in the legislature, expanding press freedom and the right to information. In July of this year, the total viewership of the parliamentary channel exceeded 120 million people. The Taiwan Association for Democracy and Supervision commends Vice President Tsai for his active promotion of the parliamentary channel and his efforts to coordinate various parties. As a result of these achievements, he has been selected to receive the "Special Contribution Award" in the 10th session, and we express our gratitude to Vice President Tsai for his contributions to legislative transparency. We hope that Vice President Tsai will continue to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to advance parliamentary reform in Taiwan, further enhancing its democratic standards and serving as a model for other democratic nations worldwide.