The DPP yesterday released the results of an opinion poll indicating that more than half of the public support holding referendums on major policies.
The party also declared it would hold a referendum on public policy before President Chen Shui-bian's (
"Despite opposition from around the world to Taiwan holding a referendum, more than 58 percent of the respondents in the poll think Taiwan should be firm and pass legislation on referendums," DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lee Ying-yuan (
"Of the 58 percent, 48 percent demand that Taiwan pass the draft bill for the referendum law as soon as possible," Lee said.
He said that the results of the poll revealed how popular the idea of the referendum had become among Taiwanese.
"A referendum means the right of initiation stipulated in the Constitution, but these rights have been deprived by the KMT government in the past. The DPP vows to return these rights to the people," Lee said.
The poll, conducted on Monday, asked people whether they supported Taiwan's efforts to pass legislation on referendums despite opposition from the rest of the world.
Twenty-six percent of respondents disagreed with the idea of referendum legislation and 17 percent said they had no comment about the issue.
Lee said Beijing was the main force opposing referendums in Taiwan and had pressured the US to dissuade Taipei from passing the required legislation.
"Taiwan pursues cross-strait stability and peace. Taiwanese people have been maturing after getting direct election and recall rights. Now they want to use the referendum right to decide public policies and there is no doubt that they could use this right. The US should respect this fact," he said.
Lee said there was nothing Beijing could do to stop this country holding referendums if that is what the people want.
"The exact date of a referendum will be decided by the Executive Yuan, but one thing for sure is that we definitely will carry out the policy to hold a referendum before President Chen's presidency expires on May 20 next year," Lee said.
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm early yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, less than a week after a typhoon barreled across the nation. The agency issued an advisory at 3:30am stating that the 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, of the Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, with a 100km radius. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA
Residents have called on the Taipei City Government to reconsider its plan to demolish a four-decades-old pedestrian overpass near Daan Forest Park. The 42-year-old concrete and steel structure that serves as an elevated walkway over the intersection of Heping and Xinsheng roads is to be closed on Tuesday in preparation for demolition slated for completion by the end of the month. However, in recent days some local residents have been protesting the planned destruction of the intersection overpass that is rendered more poetically as “sky bridge” in Chinese. “This bridge carries the community’s collective memory,” said a man surnamed Chuang
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A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm earlier today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, in this year's Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am, the CWA said. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) with a 100km radius, it said. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA meteorologist Huang En-hung (黃恩宏) said. However, a more accurate forecast would be made on Wednesday, when Yinxing is
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