Huge rally in Taipei against Bill to boost powers of legislature

Opposition move would require president to report to Chamber regularly, answer questions

- Yip Wai Yee

TAIPEI Taiwanese university student Chen Yen-ming was set to graduate with a bachelor's degree in chemistry on May 25, but he was not out celebrating the night before.

Instead, the 23-year-old stationed himself for hours in the drizzle outside Taipei's Legislative Yuan on the evening of May 24, holding up placards and shouting into a megaphone.

"Democracy is not dead," he chanted outside the Parliament building. "The road ahead will be bumpy, but we must do our part and make our voices heard."

Mr Chen was among 100,000 people, according to organisers, that had gathered outside the Parliament grounds to protest against a push by the island's Beijingfriendly opposition - the Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) to pass a Bill that would dramatically expand their investigative powers in the legislature.

If passed, it would give parliamentarians the ability to summon people from a range of backgrounds, including the president, to answer their questions as part of investigations, under the threat of fines or jail time.

In the 113-seat Chamber, the opposition alliance commands a majority, with the KMT occupying 52 seats, and the TPP eight. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has 51 seats, while two more seats belong to independents who are ideologically aligned with the KMT.