Politics is the art of compromise

The Legislative Yuan [Taipei’s parliament] began a two-week extra session on Monday to review the qualifications of 29 candidates nominated to the Control Yuan and two high-profile bills – one to establish free economic pilot zones and one to oversee negotiations and agreements with China, including a controversial trade-in-services pact.
The session is seen as an important opportunity for the ruling Kuomintang (KMT), which is suffering from low public support, to improve its standing before the year-end national elections.
Controlling 65 out of 112 seats in the Legislature at present, the party must prove it can push the stalled bills through the legislative process despite several failed attempts previously because of the obstruction of opposition parties.
The failure was not entirely the result of an opposition boycott; internal disputes within the ruling party have also played a role. In considering Control Yuan nominees, for example, some KMT lawmakers wanted to have a say in the list of nominees proposed by President Ma Ying-jeou, who doubles as KMT chairman.
To achieve victory in this extra legislative session, the second held this year, the KMT must not only use its majority to pass legislation but also defend government policies that will boost Taiwan’s economic competitiveness.
We urge KMT lawmakers to stay united and work together to maintain the dignity of the country’s legislative branch and legislative order. If the Control Yuan nominees are approved as expected, the lawmakers should then rationally discuss the cross-strait oversight agreement and economic pilot zone bills in committee.
We would also tell the opposition Democratic Progressive Party that using destructive means to boycott significant bills in the Legislature, rejecting rational discussions, rejecting majority rule, exercising physical violence and occupying the podium to prevent anything from getting done is not what people who claim they love the country should do.
Politics is the art of compromise. We hope lawmakers can all meet productively in the extra session.

Editorial,  China Times
(Editorial abstract; Translated by Focus Taiwan)