A few days ago, former Judicial Yuan president Shih Chi-yang (
In the face of the pan-blue camp's attempts to deprive the people of their right to vote in the country's first ever referendum, the pan-green camp has also brought together more than 800 legal experts to refute Shih's argument. This group believes the pan-blue camp's claims distort the current situation and ignore the threats posed by China's 500 or so missiles aimed at this country. Taiwan will not have the time to hold a referendum when a life-and-death threat arises. The Referendum Law would be useless at such a point.
The views of the pan-green's experts are valid. After all, the Democratic Progressive Party government has only been in power for less than four years after 40 years of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rule. The thorny problems left behind by the old regime, such as its illegally gained assets, the size of the legislature, changing electoral constituencies and the establishment of a double ballot system as well as the creation of a new constitution compatible with the nation's democratic development, all need to be determined via referendums.
Referendums are an expression of the people's power. They also guarantee that this nation's democratic development will be regulated by law. Therefore, the sooner the referendum is held, the earlier the nation's democracy will be deepened.
Taiwan remains under military threat from China. Beijing's missiles are real and so is the threat they pose, as shown by the 1996 missile crisis. At the same time, Taiwan's international space remains limited by China. Fewer than 30 countries recognize Taiwan's sovereign status. Isn't the situation serious enough to merit a referendum?
Taiwan must make its voice heard in the international community and express its people's opposition to China's missile threat and their love for peace. With all the attention focused on the presidential election, it is certainly worthwhile to use this time to make the nation's voice heard in the international community.
The enthusiasm displayed during the hand-in-hand rally on Feb. 28 was proof that public opinion is tilting toward the exercise of referendum rights and saying a loud no to China's military threat. This popular sentiment is a power that any future government must heed. The pan-blue camp should take note of public opinion and try to win the approval of voters by siding with the people of this country and not the leadership in Beijing. They should spend more time explaining China's oppressive acts to the international community instead of blindly echoing Beijing's condemnation of the referendum and trying to disrupt the balloting. The pan-blue camp has just a few days left to try to persuade voters that they have this nation's best interests at heart -- not their own.
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