The Referendum Review Committee is set to deliver a verdict tomorrow on the validity of a referendum question asking voters whether they agree with the government's plans to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China.
Opposition parties, including the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), have rallied behind the question, saying that a public vote is essential before President Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) administration can move forward on the controversial trade agreement.
A number of senior government officials, however, have said that the referendum is unnecessary as an ECFA would have to be ratified by the legislature before it becomes valid. The proposed pact could be signed this month.
They added that the committee should turn down the proposal because it did not fit the criteria of the Referendum Act (公民投票法).
Speaking at a public hearing on Friday, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chao Chien-min (趙建民) said that an ECFA was an economic agreement touching on taxation and tariff issues — which under the act cannot be subject to a public vote.
At a press conference yesterday, the TSU called on the committee to deliver the verdict in an impartial manner and raised concerns about government interference affecting the final decision.
A similar proposal by the DPP was rejected by the committee last year after it ruled that the referendum question was based on a hypothetical situation that did not meet the Referendum Act’s criteria.
“The Taiwanese government has for the past year been pushing for this ECFA with China as an important national policy. Despite multiple negotiations, the government still has not disclosed the content of the agreement,” TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) said.
“This has created many unanswered questions for the public. Under the circumstances, we think that only through a referendum can we resolve this deeply controversial issue,” he said.
Huang said that the president has repeatedly called the proposed ECFA “a piece of national policy,” which would qualify it for a plebiscite under Section 2 of the Referendum Act.
Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said that if an ECFA were to be signed and became valid without first holding a public vote, “it would be an offense against democracy.”
“The [committee] cannot take away the people's basic rights to decide on such an important piece of national policy. It should not be signed without public consent,” Lu said.
Former presidential adviser Koo Kwang-ming (辜寬敏) also expressed concern that an ECFA would be a stepping stone for unification with China.
The referendum proposal, which has so far received near 200,000 petitions, was initiated in February. Party officials say they hope that the referendum can be put to the ballot box as early as Nov. 27, together with the special municipality elections.
CHANGING LANDSCAPE: Many of the part-time programs for educators were no longer needed, as many teachers obtain a graduate degree before joining the workforce, experts said Taiwanese universities this year canceled 86 programs, Ministry of Education data showed, with educators attributing the closures to the nation’s low birthrate as well as shifting trends. Fifty-three of the shuttered programs were part-time postgraduate degree programs, about 62 percent of the total, the most in the past five years, the data showed. National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) discontinued the most part-time master’s programs, at 16: chemistry, life science, earth science, physics, fine arts, music, special education, health promotion and health education, educational psychology and counseling, education, design, Chinese as a second language, library and information sciences, mechatronics engineering, history, physical education
The Chinese military has boosted its capability to fight at a high tempo using the element of surprise and new technology, the Ministry of National Defense said in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) published on Monday last week. The ministry highlighted Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) developments showing significant changes in Beijing’s strategy for war on Taiwan. The PLA has made significant headway in building capabilities for all-weather, multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, operational control and a joint air-sea blockade against Taiwan’s lines of communication, it said. The PLA has also improved its capabilities in direct amphibious assault operations aimed at seizing strategically important beaches,
‘MALIGN PURPOSE’: Governments around the world conduct espionage operations, but China’s is different, as its ultimate goal is annexation, a think tank head said Taiwan is facing a growing existential threat from its own people spying for China, experts said, as the government seeks to toughen measures to stop Beijing’s infiltration efforts and deter Taiwanese turncoats. While Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for years, experts said that espionage posed a bigger threat to Taiwan due to the risk of a Chinese attack. Taiwan’s intelligence agency said China used “diverse channels and tactics” to infiltrate the nation’s military, government agencies and pro-China organizations. The main targets were retired and active members of the military, persuaded by money, blackmail or pro-China ideology to steal
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS