President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen dared Hau withhold the ballot when he votes next year.
"I don't want to speak ill of [Hau] ... that he is ignorant, but how can he be so naive? Voting is everyone's right and cannot be denied," Chen said when approached by the media for comment.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) on Nov. 16 decided to use a one-step voting procedure. Under the one-step format, voters will receive two ballots for the legislative elections and two referendum ballots at the same time and then cast them into four different boxes. One of the two legislative ballots is cast for a candidate, while the other ballot indicates the voter's political party of choice.
Voters will also be asked to fill out the two referendum ballots to indicate whether or not they support a proposal by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to force the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to return "stolen assets" to the national coffers and another proposal by the KMT on wiping out corruption.
However, 18 pan-blue local governments chiefs insist on following a two-step voting process, whereby voters first cast their legislative election ballots before receiving their referendum ballots. The pan-blues argue that the one-step format would create confusion and result in disputes at polling stations on election day.
The CEC has warned that electoral officials who do not adhere to the one-step voting format may face criminal prosecution, but the KMT leadership has dismissed the warning as a bluff, saying the election law stipulates that the conduct of electoral affairs in individual counties and cities falls under the jurisdiction of local governments.
On Friday, Hau said: "Anyone who fails to follow the two-step voting procedure, including the president and all other politicians, will not be given ballots. They will give up their right to vote."
Chen yesterday responded by saying: "I will comply with the [CEC's] instructions, and there is nothing that can prevent me from casting my ballot."
"I dare [Hau] to withhold my ballots," he said. "Feel free to withhold my ballots if [Hau] can really do so."
The CEC's decision must be strictly observed and the government will not make allowance for anyone who wanted to adopt the two-step system, he said.
"Does the Taipei City Government think it is independent?" Chen asked. "It is still part of the system of government."
"We cannot thave two different systems in the country," he said.
Chen said the KMT's refusal to adopt the one-step voting process stemmed from its wish to thwart the referendum and safeguard its unlawful party assets.
He was referring to the DPP-initiated referendum on forcing the KMT to return its stolen party assets and another referendum proposal seeking entry to the UN using the name Taiwan. The second proposal is likely to take place on March 22 in conjunction with the presidential election.
At a separate setting yesterday, DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (
"Confrontation between the central and local governments will only put the people at a disadvantage" and would not contribute to the nation's development, Hsieh said.
Vice President Annette Lu (
"Would the KMT like to see local governments plotting rebellion against the central government if [KMT presidential candidate] Ma Ying-jeou (
In response, Hau said the city government would not grant special treatment to any individual or political party.
"I believe the president will follow Taipei's rules after he calms down. The city government won't extend special treatment to anyone or to any parties," Hau said.
He also dismissed Chen's accusation that the Taipei City Government is seeking independence.
"The city government does everything according to the law and regulation, and I call on the central government to refrain from imposing an emergency rule," he said.
Ma supported Hau's comments and condemned the central government for acting like "gangsters" by threatening local governments and civil servants.
Additional reporting by CNA
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
THUGGISH BEHAVIOR: Encouraging people to report independence supporters is another intimidation tactic that threatens cross-strait peace, the state department said China setting up an online system for reporting “Taiwanese independence” advocates is an “irresponsible and reprehensible” act, a US government spokesperson said on Friday. “China’s call for private individuals to report on alleged ‘persecution or suppression’ by supposed ‘Taiwan independence henchmen and accomplices’ is irresponsible and reprehensible,” an unnamed US Department of State spokesperson told the Central News Agency in an e-mail. The move is part of Beijing’s “intimidation campaign” against Taiwan and its supporters, and is “threatening free speech around the world, destabilizing the Indo-Pacific region, and deliberately eroding the cross-strait status quo,” the spokesperson said. The Chinese Communist Party’s “threats
RSS