Time to cut party from government

By Chiou Chwei-liang ???

Monday, Jun 21, 2004,Page 8

The transformation from rule by man to the rule of law and institutionalism lies at the heart of the democratization process, which is implemented by building a peaceful, just and competitive institutional arrangement through elections. These institutions select the national leader and handle national political affairs. The building of such an institutional arrangement requires coordination with various institutions in civil society, such as the freedoms of thought, expression and the press, interest and lobbying groups, a market economy and so on.

The most important institution, which functions as an intermediary between society and politics, is, without a doubt, a political system with two or more effectively independent and mutually counterbalancing political parties. In a democracy, this party system is intimately related to the government's executive, legislative and judicial system, although democratic principles say that the parties and the government should be clearly separated. The two systems fill different functions, and the separation of party and government is the normal state in a democracy.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2004/06/21/2003175960


DPP plan shows trend to mature democracy

By Chin Heng-wei ???
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has proposed an amendment to its charter, revising the rule that requires the president to automatically take the post of the incumbent party's chairperson. The newly introduced amendment states that the party's chairperson could be the president or one of its three vice chairpersons, both appointed by the president and approved by the DPP Central Standing Committee.

The move is surely part of the DPP's structural rise from its opposition status to the seat of power. The significance of the amendment lies in the fact that it shows the DPP on its way to the separation of party and state: after making DPP officials drop out of the intra-party factions, the amendment also empowers the president to handpick the DPP's chairperson. Since the amendment was proposed by the Presidential Office, it was taken as part of the reforms throughout the party.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2004/06/21/2003175959