On Friday, May 17, the Taiwanese parliament descended into chaos as a lawmaker resorted to extraordinary measures to express his discontent with proposed reforms. During a heated debate over changes to the chamber’s operations, one lawmaker abruptly seized a bill and absconded with it, effectively preventing its passage.
This incident sent shockwaves through the legislature and ignited a bitter dispute that quickly escalated into a physical confrontation. Lawmakers shoved, tackled, and even hit each other, turning the parliament floor into a chaotic scene. The melee unfolded just days before President-elect Lai Ching-te’s scheduled inauguration on Monday.
Even before the votes were cast, tensions ran high, with lawmakers engaging in verbal altercations and shoving matches outside the legislative chamber. Once the debate commenced, the chaos intensified as lawmakers made their way to the speaker’s seat, leapt onto tables, and pinned down their colleagues.
The afternoon witnessed a continuation of the scuffles, with the brawl widely circulating on social media platforms. Netizens responded with a mix of amusement and satire, posting memes, jokes, and sarcastic remarks about the incident.
One social media user quipped, “Hey, Phil, can you just email it to all of us? Fucking Harold just ran off with the hard copy again.” Another wrote, “Is there a bill about stealing bills?” A third user observed, “Football player has so much advantage in parliament, I guess.”
The incident underscores the deep political divisions within Taiwan’s parliament. The main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), has gained more seats than the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) but not enough to form a majority. The KMT has been collaborating with the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) to advance their shared agendas, including a controversial proposal that would criminalize false statements made by officials in parliament.
