Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh's (
"We are calling on Ma to give Taiwan a chance," Hsieh spokesman Shen Fa-hui (
Shen said the referendums were initiated in accordance with the law and had attracted attention from the international community.
"The referendums are about the interests of the nation and the will of the Taiwanese people," he said.
"We are calling on Ma to resist the pressure from his party and exercise leadership. We are also urging the KMT to put national interest before its interest and support the two referendums," Shen said.
ACCOMODATING
He said the DPP had originally insisted on joining the UN using the name "Taiwan," but had decided to support both plebiscites for the sake of the nation.
The DPP's referendum suggests joining the UN using the name "Taiwan," while the KMT poll proposes "rejoining" the body using the country's official name, the Republic of China (ROC), or any other "practical" title that would uphold the country's dignity.
The referendums are scheduled to be held together with the presidential election on March 22.
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has said he would hold cross-party negotiations on decoupling the referendums on UN membership from the presidential election if the KMT were willing to amend the Referendum Law (公投法) to lower the voting threshold for referendums.
The Referendum Law requires a 50 percent voter turnout -- or approximately 8 million voters -- for a referendum to be valid.
In addition, the law stipulates that the signatures of 0.5 percent of eligible voters -- or approximately 80,000 -- be collected to apply to hold a referendum. In the second application stage, 5 percent of eligible voters -- or approximately 800,000 -- must sign the petition.
PREDICTION
During an interview with SETTV broadcast last night, Chen predicted that the KMT would decide to boycott the referendums. He said this was proof that the party had only proposed its referendum to counter the DPP's plebiscite.
"Their referendum proposal was inspired by the election, but ours was inspired by our belief in democracy," Chen said. "It has always been my belief that a referendum is more important than winning an election. It did not matter to me whether I won re-election in 2004, but it was important that the referendum was held."
Chen urged the public to support the referendums. Regardless of which party they vote for, people must back Taiwan, he said.
The referendums would not endanger the country, Chen said, because they were a way of expressing the will of the Taiwanese to join the UN. In any event, he said, the country would not immediately gain access to the world body because an application process would be required.
Chen said the KMT's proposal to hold the referendums separately from the election was just an excuse. He said it was clear that the KMT opposed referendums in principle, regardless of the topic.
On the election, Chen said the last week was key and that Hsieh stood a chance of winning.
"Elections are like a marathon. You never know who will win the race until the last minute," he said. "It is a good sign that Hsieh is optimistic about the election."
Earlier yesterday, Hsieh said he supported Chen's compromise.
"I don't want to see the worst-case scenario happen and national interest undermined," Hsieh said
He said the best-case scenario would be for the DPP's referendum proposal to succeed. Next best would be for both referendums to pass.
Meanwhile, a proposal launched by the DPP caucus to greatly lower the legal thresholds for the different stages of a referendum was blocked from being included in Friday's plenary session agenda during the legislature's Procedure Committee meeting yesterday.
The proposed amendment to the Referendum Law (公投法), initiated by 25 DPP legislators, would set the first stage threshold for a plebiscite proposal at 1,600 signatures. The second stage threshold would be 240,000 signatures, and a referendum would be considered to have passed if it received more affirmative votes than negative votes and attained a threshold of more than 25 percent of eligible voters.
DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (
The committee agreed to add to the agenda a draft bill proposed by the KMT that would subject the outgoing president or vice president to judicial investigation if he or she refused to hand over his or her duties to his or her successor.
The draft bill, if passed by the legislature, would also ban high-ranking government officials, including the president, from making any personnel reshuffles after losing a re-election bid.
In related news, some 100 young Taiwanese entrepreneurs held a press conference at the legislature, saying they would boycott both referendums on UN membership.
Liao Wan-lung (
Liao called on the public to boycott the referendums to "simplify" the presidential election.
Meanwhile, KMT Legislator Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), who last week urged her party to boycott the referendums, reiterated her position.
Hung said that although one of the referendums was proposed by the KMT, the party should boycott both plebiscites as this was a more "flexible" approach.
In related news, Central Election Commission Chairman Chang Cheng-hsiung (張政雄) said yesterday that the commission would proceed with the referendums regardless of whether a KMT-initiated resolution expressing the will of the Taiwanese people to join the UN passes.
The KMT introduced a resolution titled "Taiwanese Demand to Enter the UN" in the legislature on Monday, saying the newly elected legislature would convey the people's wish to participate in international organizations.
The DPP, in response, accused the KMT of introducing the resolution to confuse voters.
"As the referendums were introduced on the basis of petitions signed by the public, the commission is duty bound to hold the plebiscites regardless of the resolution," Chang said.
He said the commission would not consider decoupling the referendums from the presidential election unless the six members who decided on the arrangement reconsidered before the end of the week.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College