Opinion | Drafting blunder sheds light on Taiwan's legislative shenanigans

Taiwan's legislature has nullified a controversial amendment to the Accounting Act, at cabinet request, following a blunder that cast a spotlight on the often absurd goings on in the Legislative Yuan.

The amendment was meant to decriminalise what had been seen as abuses in the way that university professors claimed government research funds and elected officials used public funds for private purposes.

But because of the careless way the amendment was written, professors were omitted from the exemption list, with only administrative staff at academic institutions and elected officials spared.

The amendment was passed by government and opposition lawmakers on May 31 but triggered a public outcry on the island when the omission of professors was spotted.

It has been a common practice in Taiwan for professors to use money left over from research grants for other purposes, ranging from private expenditure to benefitting their classes by installing new equipment. However, the Accounting Act outlaws such practices and more than 600 professors have been found guilty of violating the legislation.

The Taiwanese public were particularly upset because the amendment could lead to the release of former legislator Yen Ching-piao, who is serving a 3-1/2-year prison term for spending nearly NT$20 million (HK$5.2 million) from his special allowance on trips to hostess bars during his time as speaker of the Taichung county council between 1999 and 2000.

They were also angry at the way lawmakers from the governing Kuomintang and opposition parties including the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) dealt with the amendment.