Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) yesterday turned down a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) proposal for a special statute that would pave the way for a national referendum on the completion of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant after discussing the matter with DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).
It is not possible for the Cabinet to issue an executive order halting the construction of the plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮), Jiang told a joint press conference he held with Su following their 90-minute meeting at the Executive Yuan complex in Taipei.
Jiang said the executive branch could not take a unilateral decision to resolve the decades-long controversy, given that an executive order to halt the project issued by the then-DPP administration in 2000 had been ruled unconstitutional.
Photo: CNA
“Besides, this administration has always supported completing construction of the plant so it can become operational,” he said.
The DPP’s proposal called for changing the national referendum threshold to a simple majority from the current regulations, which require the participation of 50 percent of eligible voters, half of whom must cast a “yes” ballot for the referendum to pass.
Jiang said that while he has always supported resolving the controversy via popular vote, “lowering the national referendum threshold over a highly contentious issue would be inappropriate.”
The proposed special statute also sought to phrase the nuclear referendum question in clear terms by simply asking voters whether they support or oppose the plant’s construction and for the plebiscite to be held by the end of the year.
The initiative was unveiled last week as part of the DPP’s effort to support the demand made by former party chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) to halt the Gongliao project.
A prolific anti-nuclear advocate, Lin is to begin an indefinite hunger strike today in a bid to force the government to heed his call.
Jiang yesterday reiterated his position on Lin’s planned fast, saying that the news of the hunger strike had shocked and saddened him.
“I urge Mr Lin to not sacrifice his body for a political demand,” the premier said, adding that he did not rule out visiting the former DPP head to discuss the situation.
At the press conference, Su said he initiated the meeting to engage Jiang in “problem-solving,” which the DPP chair said entailed the government resolving the controversy as soon as possible and taking Lin’s hunger strike seriously.
“I’m not here to debate who did what in the past, nor am I here to argue with someone about the responsibilities of the administrative and legislative branches, because this have always been clear,” Su said.
“I am here today to work out a solution for the 30-year-old controversy over the Gongliao plant. Considering the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi meltdown in Japan, the anti-nuclear stance held by the majority of Taiwanese and Lin Yi-xiong’s sacrificing his body as a last warning, I think the answer to this problem should be very clear,” he added.
If President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration adopts a positive mentality toward resolving the issue, Su said he would not rule out meeting with the president and added that his party is open to negotiating with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) about the details or revisions of the proposed statute.
“There is no time to waste. The DPP is willing to do whatever it takes to resolve the issue. Hopefully, the nuclear power plant will become the first issue on which the two parties can achieve conciliation and cooperation,” he said.
Separately yesterday, Executive Yuan spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun (孫立群) said Jiang’s pledge that the government would not place fuel rods in the Gongliao station’s reactors before a referendum is held does not mean that the plant’s going online will be postponed indefinitely if a vote does not transpire.
If the legislature does not decide to put the issue to a popular vote, the plant could become operational, but only once the safety of the nuclear reactors is guaranteed, Sun said.
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