The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday launched a signature drive to recall President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), citing the nation’s deteriorating fiscal condition and what the party referred to as Ma’s incompetence.
“Taiwan cannot afford a president wasting another four years not doing anything,” TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) told a press conference, calling on Taiwanese to help themselves by supporting the signature drive.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Deputy Sectary-General Lin You-chang (林右昌), Taiwan Society president Wu Shu-min (吳樹民), former vice premier Wu Rong-i (吳榮義), Taiwan Nation Alliance (TNA) convener Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文), former Academia Historica director Chang Yen-hsien (張炎憲) and representatives from pro-independence groups also attended the press conference.
Photo: AFP
Huang said that petition stations would be set up across the nation to collect signatures and the party would also establish a Web site allowing people to sign the petition online.
After it has collected signatures, the chairman said, the party would ask all district legislators whether they would obey “the people’s will or Ma’s opinions.”
By doing this the party aims to identify elected representatives who ignore the voice of the public and shield an incompetent government, Huang said.
He added that the party would gather all lawmakers’ performance records in the legislature and find out who had been supporting the government’s poor policies.
“Ma Ying-jeou has been so at ease just because some lawmakers support his interests over the public interest, and Ma and these lawmakers have therefore formed a conspiracy,” he said.
Huang added that the party would move to launch a recall of poorly performing lawmakers as a precursor to recalling Ma.
The chairman said the party plans to formally present the petition after Ma finishes the first year of his four-year second term on May 20 next year.
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