Thirty-one high-ranking military officers from Central and South America, accompanied by Col. Tan Fang-Rong of the National Defense University (NDU), visited the Control Yuan on the afternoon of September 27, 2018. During their visit, they engaged in an informal discussion with CY President Chang Po-Ya, Secretary-General Fu Meng-Jung, and Deputy Secretary-General Liu Wen-Shi, exchanging views on issues related to the powers and functions of the CY under the Five-Power constitutional system.
Prior to the discussion, the visitors learned more about the procedures for receiving complaints with a visit to the Complaint Receipt Center. Through a guided tour of the plenary meeting hall and the display room, they were given a glimpse into the long history of the supervision system and the beauty of the architecture as well as learned basic facts about the CY.
President Chang first welcomed the visitors from afar and briefed them on the CY’s responsibilities and performance. She took 2017 as an example that the CY received over 15,000 complaints and established more than 300 investigation cases. Through the handling of filed complaints and the exercise of its powers, the CY effectively has overseen government, redressed grievance and promoted good governance. Last year, the CY impeached a total of 32 public servants found guilty of violations of the law or neglect of duty.
President Chang also introduced the implementation of the Sunshine Acts. For example, property-declaration by public servants and political donations by political parties and candidates must be reported to the CY, preventing corruption through an open and transparent system. President Chang even pointed out the CY has actively engaged in international exchange affairs. In addition to being a member of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI), the CY has also maintained friendly relations with Defensorías del Pueblo in Central and South America via the network of the Iberoamerican Federation of Ombudsman (FIO), signing cooperative agreements or memorandums of understanding with several Latin American countries’ ombudsman institutions.
At the discussion, the visitors participated actively by asking a wide range of questions, such as concerning the qualifications for becoming a CY member, the appointment process, the likelihood of joining political parties and serving the second term. Alberto Sierra Morales, the Major General of Guatemala, expressed his expectation that the CY exports its supervision system to Central and South American countries as an example for learning and progress after understanding the massive performance of the CY. President Chang welcomed other countries to come and learn about the CY experiences for references in her reply. She also wished the delegation a pleasant stay in Taiwan and expressed the hope of engaging in more exchanges with them in the future.