The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday vowed to continue to push for a referendum on the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) after the Referendum Review Committee — for the second time — killed its proposal to let the public have a say on the recently signed cross-strait pact.
The committee yesterday rejected the TSU’s proposal in a 10 to two vote, saying the party failed to present a convincing argument.
“We have believed all along that the right to a referendum is a basic right of the people. We won’t give up until this is achieved,” TSU Chairperson Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) said following the committee’s decision.
The verdict has also prompted a rare outburst from former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who condemned the decision as undemocratic and accused President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration of interfering with the committee, which is supposed to be non-partisan.
“The democratic spirit that I established for Taiwan during my administration is all but gone,” Lee said. “The Ma government has forgotten about the people’s needs and Taiwan’s sovereignty. If we continue on like this, Taiwan has no future.”
The 87 year-old former president also spoke against the ECFA, saying that a referendum was essential because the trade pact would lead to a “one China” market and subject the country’s future to increasing Chinese control.
“No matter my age, I will still come out to [oppose the pact],” he said over the deal’s potential implications on Taiwan’s sovereignty and democracy.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) also denounced the committee’s decision, calling it another “large set-back for Taiwan’s democracy.”
“We believe that not only will the ECFA impact Taiwan’s income gap, but that it will also touch on this country’s strategic position and future development. It’s an important issue that deserves to be put to a public vote,” she said.
Yesterday’s verdict was the latest in a long line of rejections by the committee, which had previously rejected similar applications by both the DPP and the TSU, all based on alleged contradictions between the question and text of the proposal.
On June 3, the committee voted down the TSU’s application for a referendum on the question: “Do you agree that the government should sign an ECFA with China?”
The TSU made a second proposal with the same question on June 30, a day after Taiwan and China signed the ECFA. That attempt was turned down yesterday.
“A referendum proposed by the people should be in opposition with the government’s policy direction,” Chao Yung-mau (趙永茂), chairman of the committee, told a news conference after a three-and-a-half hour meeting.
“However, with the way the question is asked in the proposed referendum, the government’s current policies would not have to be reversed even if the referendum were passed ... hence, it does not meet the qualification of a referendum as an expression of public approval or disapproval on a major policy as stipulated in the Referendum Act (公民投票法),” Chao said.
Chao said another reason the committee members voted it down was because Huang apparently is opposed to ECFA — according to what he stated as reasons to propose the referendum — however, the question asks whether voters agree with the government’s plan to sign the ECFA.
“This is contradicting and could cause confusion to voters,” Chao said. “The TSU may appeal the decision, or submit a new referendum proposal on the issue if it wishes to do so.”
Executive secretary of the committee Teng Tien-yu (鄧天祐) said eight of the 21 committee members did not take part in the meeting because they had other engagements or were out of the country. The chairman did not cast a vote.
Committee members Chen Miao-fen (陳妙芬) and Kuo Lin-yung (郭林勇), who voted for the referendum, said in a written statement that the proposal met all criteria of a referendum and should not be blocked.
While the TSU has said it would submit another referendum proposal in the coming weeks, it is unclear how long the party, which regards Lee as its spiritual leader, can continue its efforts.
Speaking privately, TSU officials expressed worries on the heavy financial toll the referendum proposals have taken on its annual budget of NT$23 million (US$720,000), mostly acquired through donations as it does not qualify for government subsidies due to its size.
Each proposal that it sends in for review by the committee has to comprise of at least 86,000 petition forms as required by the Referendum Law. If passed by the committee, it would subsequently have to gather a total of 860,000 signatures before its proposal can be put to a nationwide vote.
Currently, the agreement is pending a review by the legislature and is widely expected to be given the go-ahead before the end of the month and becomes valid next year.
Opposition requests for a clause-by-clause vote on the ECFA have so far been rebuffed.
The Taipei MRT is open all night tonight following New Year’s Eve festivities, and is offering free rides from nearby Green Line stations. Taipei’s 2025 New Year’s Eve celebrations kick off at Taipei City Hall Square tonight, with performances from the boy band Energy, the South Korean girl group Apink, and singers Gigi Leung (梁詠琪) and Faith Yang (楊乃文). Taipei 101’s annual New Year’s firework display follows at midnight, themed around Taiwan’s Premier12 baseball championship. Estimates say there will be about 200,000 people in attendance, which is more than usual as this year’s celebrations overlap with A-mei’s (張惠妹) concert at Taipei Dome. There are
NEW YEAR’S ADDRESS: ‘No matter what threats and challenges Taiwan faces, democracy is the only path,’ William Lai said, urging progress ‘without looking back’ President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday urged parties across the political divide to democratically resolve conflicts that have plagued domestic politics within Taiwan’s constitutional system. In his first New Year’s Day address since becoming president on May 20 last year, Lai touched on several issues, including economic and security challenges, but a key emphasis was on the partisan wrangling that has characterized his first seven months in office. Taiwan has transformed from authoritarianism into today’s democracy and that democracy is the future, Lai said. “No matter what threats and challenges Taiwan faces, democracy is the only path for Taiwan,” he said. “The only choice
CORRUPTION: Twelve other people were convicted on charges related to giving illegal benefits, forgery and money laundering, with sentences ranging from one to five years The Yilan District Court yesterday found Yilan County Commissioner Lin Zi-miao (林姿妙) guilty of corruption, sentencing her to 12 years and six months in prison. The Yilan District Prosecutors’ Office in 2022 indicted 10 government officials and five private individuals, including Lin, her daughter and a landowner. Lin was accused of giving illegal favors estimated to be worth NT$2.4 million (US$73,213) in exchange for using a property to conduct activities linked to the 2020 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential and legislative election campaigns. Those favors included exempting some property and construction firms from land taxes and building code contraventions that would have required
TECH CORRIDOR: Technology centers and science parks in the south would be linked, bolstering the AI, semiconductor, biotech, drone, space and smart agriculture industries The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a “Southern Silicon Valley” project to promote the development of an artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor industry in Chiayi County, Tainan, Pingtung County and Kaohsiung. The plan would build an integrated “S-shaped semiconductor industry corridor” that links technology centers and science parks in the south, Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said yesterday after a Cabinet meeting. The project would bolster the AI, semiconductor, biotech, drone, space and smart agriculture industries, she said. The proposed tech corridor would be supported by government efforts to furnish computing power, workforce, supply chains and policy measures that encourage application and integration