The Central Election Commission's (CEC) plan to scrap the practice of marking voter identification cards during the Dec. 3 local government elections drew criticism from lawmakers yesterday.
In previous elections, voters' ID cards would be stamped at the polling station when they received their ballot.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (
Reason for change?
"If the original design is flawed, I'm very curious to know why the Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] administration wants to change it now rather than four or five years ago," he said.
Wu said that he would also like to know why the CEC in September revamped the Implementation Regulations of the Public Officials Election and Recall Law (公職人員選舉罷免法施行細則), and discarded an article that required a voter's ID card be marked after receiving a ballot.
"Isn't it obvious that it is another political scheme by the CEC to change the rules of the game before the election?" Wu said. "I'm calling on the CEC to take the initiative to change it back."
Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus whip David Huang (黃適卓), however, backed the CEC's plan, saying that it was a way to effectively reduce vote-buying practices.
"It is a humiliating accusation against all polling personnel, most of whom are civil servants, when the opposition parties make such allegations," he said.
Voicing support
"Marking a voter's ID card is a legacy of the KMT regime to calculate polling outcomes. Getting rid of such a ridiculous scheme will not only ensure free voting but also reduce vote-buying," he said.
Throwing his support behind Huang, DPP Legislator Hsu Kuo-yung (
"You cannot just accuse any man with a penis of having the intention to rape a woman," he said.
Hsu, however, said the issue deserved a full-fledged discussion.
In response, CEC Chairman Chang Cheng-hsiung (
Chang said that the Ministry of the Interior had originally planned to issue new ID cards on July 1, prompting the CEC to overhaul the Implementation Regulations of the Public Officials Election and Recall Law because the plastic coating on the new cards would mean they couldn't be stamped.
The plan for the new cards was delayed until Dec. 21, however, so voters taking part in the Dec. 3 elections will not have their ID cards marked when they take their ballots.
READY: The CGA said it closely monitored China’s maritime exercise, deployed vessels to shadow the Chinese ships one-on-one and set up emergency response centers Chinese navy and coast guard ships have returned to China, signaling the end of a massive maritime exercise, authorities said yesterday. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) released images it said showed Chinese vessels sailing north in rough seas past Taiwan on Thursday, on their way to China. “All the Chinese coast guard went back to China yesterday, so although they have not officially made any announcement, we consider it over,” CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said. Beijing has not confirmed the drills and the Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not say whether the maneuvers had taken place when asked at a
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: As some roads would be fully or partially closed, people are advised to take the MRT, with services expanded to accommodate more riders This year’s Taipei Marathon, which has obtained its first gold label certification from World Athletics, is to be held from 5am to 1pm tomorrow and would have 28,000 participants. The race is to start from the Taipei City Plaza and would go through major roads throughout the city, with traffic control implemented from 6am to 2pm, officials said. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and New Taipei City MRT Circle line would start operating at 5am on the day of the race, they said. The race would cover Renai Road, Xinyi Road, Hangzhou S Road, Aiguo east and west roads,
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
RSS