Tens of thousands of supporters are expected to gather outside parliament on Friday after Taiwan's ruling party pushed ahead with a highly controversial 'contempt of parliament' law.
The opposition Kuomintang Party (KMT) said new laws were desperately needed to correct the power imbalance between the legislature and Taiwan's very powerful president.
But the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said this was an unconstitutional power grab aimed at revenge against the DPP government led by President William Lai Ching-te.
The bill would give Taiwan's parliament more power to interrogate and investigate the executive branch and could subpoena government officials and individuals to hand over sensitive documents to lawmakers.
It also introduced “contempt of parliament” provisions that could result in fines or even sentences of up to a year in prison for public officials who defy parliament. The last provision has been heavily criticized by legal scholars as going far beyond what is typical in other democracies.
When the bill was first introduced last May, tens of thousands of people surrounded the National Assembly for several days and mass protests took place on the streets of Taipei. But there was a lull when it went to Mr. Lai's office for approval.
Mr Lai returned the bill to parliament for review, and it passed again fairly quickly, this time with support from the KMT, the small Taiwan People's Party (TPP) and a fragile coalition of independents.
But the DPP has called for support to be shown, even if it is only a symbolic gesture of opposition to the bill. The KMT staged a counter protest on Friday, but the numbers reached several hundred, lower than the numbers the DPP drew last month.
But the protests have come to reflect a deep political divide between DPP and KMT supporters in Taiwan.
For decades, China's nationalist Kuomintang party ruled Taiwan with an iron fist, brutally suppressing any calls for democracy or independence. Many older Democratic Progressive Party leaders were imprisoned for being radicals. Now the two parties compete for power through the ballot box. But old suspicions are now fueling gridlock in Congress.
It's only been a month since President Lai took office, but he already lacks a majority in a divided parliament, dimming his prospects for achieving any real results during his first term.
On the streets outside the Legislature, there is real concern about what is happening inside. Thousands of DPP supporters appear to believe the contempt of the Parliament bill was an attempted legislative coup.
“This process is very unfair and omits real discussion,” said Powei Chang, 33. “The bill itself is very dangerous and lacks clear definitions. “It is basically a way for lawmakers to expand their authority without the consent of the people.”
The fact that the lawmakers in question have a majority in parliament is not enough for Mr. Chang.
The people surrounding the National Assembly represent a diverse cross-section of Taiwanese society, including young and old, students, professionals, and blue-collar workers. They sit patiently on rows of plastic chairs. On a makeshift stage, a steady stream of activists take to the microphone and denounce what is happening inside the conference hall.
In May, when torrential downpours hit the city in the afternoon, organizers handed out plastic ponchos and well-prepared people set up forests of umbrellas. There is no one left.
They are united by two things: a strong Taiwanese identity and a deep distrust of the motives of the opposition KMT.
A young woman named Eden Hsu says: “I think what’s happening in Taiwan today is something that people need to fight against,” she said. “We can’t allow those who are trying to sell Taiwan to think they can do whatever they want without opposition.”
Who are you selling Taiwan to? To China.
“Many provisions of the bill appear to have been influenced by the Chinese Communist Party,” she says. “The Chinese Communist Party… We plan to utilize both internal and external support to penetrate Taiwan.”
This is a sentiment repeated over and over again in the streets and by activists on stage. There is a widespread belief among opponents of the bill that the KMT leadership is now firmly in Beijing's pocket.
When pressed for evidence, both protesters and activists pointed to frequent visits to China by senior KMT politicians. Chief among them is Taiwan's former KMT president Ma Yingjeou. In the past six months, he has traveled to China twice. Last April, he warmly welcomed President Xi Jinping to Beijing, who has steadfastly refused to hold talks with Lai or former Premier Tsai Ing-wen.
One well-known DPP politician describes former President Ma as Beijing's “most important political asset” in Taiwan.
Others seen as “very close to Beijing” include KMT Chairman Han Kuoyou, often derided by DPP supporters as the “Korean fish”.
“He is not actually blue (the color of the KMT party flag),” says one DPP politician. “He is red ((the color of the Communist Party flag).”
Another person accused of being 'red' is KMT caucus leader Fu Kunchi, who pushed for a 'contempt of parliament' bill. Mr. Fu is a powerful power broker with a controversial past, including concocting a fraudulent divorce after being convicted and jailed for insider stock trading. He is also a frequent visitor to China.
All of this provides useful information for spreading rumors and innuendo. However, this is not evidence of collusion between senior KMT leaders and Beijing. Indeed, Kuomintang leaders have loudly protested their innocence and pointed to their long history of opposition to the Chinese Communist Party.
“I have more reasons to hate Beijing than the DPP,” says Alexander Huang, head of the KMT’s international department. “The whole idea (of the bill) is to increase management accountability. That’s it.”
But when the National Party controlled the presidency and the legislature from 2008 to 2016, it resisted opposition calls to pass very similar legislation. The DPP, who was on the other side at the time, was pushing for this.
The KMT also suggested that it may launch an investigation into DPP leaders if the bill is passed.
“For eight years, the DPP had an overwhelming majority. They could get whatever they wanted. The executive and legislative branches are united in enjoying Taiwan’s resources,” says Huang.
