The Federalist Papers No. 10, 51: Their Implications for Contemporary Constitutional Development in Taiwan

Abstract

Taiwan in 2000 for the first time ended ex-incumbent party [KMT] long-term rule, which was viewed as an important symbol of its democratic development. Although this improved Taiwan's reputation among the nations of the world, its political situation did not become more stable. To the contrary, it became steadily worse under the struggle between the so-called Pan-green and Pan-blue Camps. How Taiwan can bring this political chaos to a close has become the main matter for constitutional scholars in the upcoming constitutional government reform. The Federalist Papers, a series of famous historic American documents from the 18(superscript th) century, in particular some ideas such as factions, checks and balances, majority rule and the role of the mass media in No. 10 and No. 51 could inspire us to find resolutions to political chaos in Taiwan. Under this circumstance Taiwan has to build a new constitutional frame based on the principles of majority government, power exercised with responsibility, the highlighting of the function of the Council of Grand Justices, and the expectation that the mass media will help us build a mature political culture.