Taiwan: Lawmakers turned Parliament into a ring – Pushing and wild wood

Unprecedented scenes unfolded in Taiwan’s Parliament as lawmakers came to blows and shoved each other during a heated row over House reforms, days before President-elect Lai Ching-te, who has yet to take office, takes office. has secured the parliamentary majority.

There were tense moments on Friday, with the atmosphere tense even before the votes began, as some MPs shouted and pushed each other out of the chamber, before the tension spilled over into Parliament.

There were chaotic scenes as lawmakers shoved, tackled and hit each other in a day-long brawl in Taiwan’s parliament on Friday over a controversial reform bill. pic.twitter.com/sG3JPHyxNE

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 17, 2024

Scenes of chaos ensued with MPs crowding around the president’s seat pushing and pulling each other. Some jumped over benches and dragged colleagues to the floor, while video showed one MP grabbing a bill to prevent it from being voted on and putting it on his feet as he began to run out of the chamber.

🚨🇹🇼#BREAKING: A member of Taiwan’s parliament stole a bill and ran off with it to prevent it from being passed.

LMFAOOOOOO 😭😭😭

pic.twitter.com/CxcmWCusAI

— Censored Men (@CensoredMen) May 17, 2024

Although calm soon returned, there were further clashes later.

The cause of quarrels

Lai Ching-te, who is due to be sworn in as president on Monday, won the January election, but his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its majority in Parliament.

The main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), has more seats than the DPP, but not enough to form a majority on its own, so it is working with the small Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) to promote their common ideas.

The opposition wants to give parliament greater powers to scrutinize the government, including a controversial proposal to criminalize officials deemed to make false statements to parliament.

Taiwan Democracy Zoo🙉pic.twitter.com/mZWqrS3tZu

— ShanghaiPanda (@thinking_panda) May 18, 2024

The DPP argues that the KMT and TPP are unfairly trying to impose the proposals without the usual consultation process, in what the DPP calls an “unconstitutional abuse of power”.

In the fights and arguments involved and exchanged accusations about who was to blame MPs from all three parties.

“Why are we against it? We want to be able to have discussions, not have only one voice in the country,” DPP lawmaker Wang Mei Hui, who represents the southern city of Chiayi, told Reuters.

“The DPP has always used to monopolize power”

KMT’s Jessica Chen, from the Taiwan-administered Kinmen Islands off the Chinese coast, said the reforms would allow for better legislative oversight of the executive branch.

“The DPP does not want this to be voted on as it has always used to monopolize power,” he told Reuters, wearing a military-style helmet.

Controversies in Parliament are not unknown in Taiwan, as they happen from time to time. In 2020, KMT lawmakers threw pig entrails on the floor of the chamber in a dispute over the facilitation of US pork imports.

The clashes raise the prospect of more unrest – and parliamentary clashes – for Lai’s new government after it takes office. “I’m worried,” said DPP’s Wang.