108年12月10日立法院三讀通過《考試院組織法》修正草案,將考試委員名額從19人降為7-9人;考試院正副院長及考試委員的任期由6年減為4年;考試委員同黨籍不超過總額二分之一,並修正考試委員之資格條件。在修法過程中,立法委員一度要將考試委員的名額改為3人,以及縮減職權僅限於研究和諮詢等,考試院認為部分內容有違憲疑慮,院長伍錦霖公開呼籲總統重視及立委尊重五權體制,否則不惜辭職。本次修法考試院並未提出草案版本,綜觀立法委員提案的內容,重點在於考試委員的人數、資格及任期,而與之相關的議題則包括考試院的決策方式、考試委員的職權等。針對考試委員為何是19人?考試院為何是合議制?考試委員的資格,為何有一款是「曾任考試委員聲譽卓著者」等?一直是久遠難解的謎團,本文的主要目的,即在解開這些謎團。
The Judiciary and Organic Law and Statues Committee of the Legislative Yuan reviewed 6 draft amendments of the Organization Act of Examination Yuan on April 11, 2019. The committee made the resolution to reduce the number of Ministers without Portfolio of Examination Yuan from 19 to 3, shorten the term of president, vice president and Minister without Portfolio of Examination Yuan from 6 years to 4 years. In addition, Ministers without Portfolio of the same political party may not exceed half of the total number, and the committee also revised the qualifications of the Minister without Portfolio. At the same time, the committee reserved some articles for further negotiation, including whether the Examinations Yuan is responsible for the public service training, whether to abolish Examination Yuan Council, whether to define the authority of Minister without Portfolio, and whether to reduce the number of staff of Examination Yuan. The Examination Yuan considered some amendments mentioned above as unconstitutional. The president Wu Jinlin appealed to President Tsai in public to attach importance to the issue and hope the legislators to respect the five-power system, otherwise he would resign. All the amendments focus on the number, qualification as well as term of Minister without Portfolio. Other related issues include the decision-making body of the Examination Yuan, the authority of the Minister without Portfolio. Why are 19 Ministers without Portfolio? Why the decision-making mechanism of the Examination Yuan is committee system? Why one of the qualifications of the Minister without Portfolio is as former Minister without Portfolio with good reputation? All these questions have always been puzzles for a long time. The main purpose of this article is trying to solve them.