The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday submitted to the Central Election Commission (CEC) more than 20,000 signatures backing its petition for a referendum on the importation of pork containing ractopamine, the party said.
The proposed referendum would ask voters if they agree that the government should impose a complete ban on the importation of meat, offal and related products from pigs fed leanness-enhancing agents, including ractopamine and other beta-agonists.
The KMT on Sept. 12 launched a nationwide drive to collect signatures for the referendum proposal after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Aug. 28 announced that Taiwan would ease restrictions on the importation of US pork containing ractopamine residue and beef from cattle aged 30 months or older.
Photo: CNA
The new policy is to take effect on Jan. 1 next year.
A group of KMT lawmakers and other members led by KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) yesterday delivered boxes filled with signed petitions to the CEC’s offices in Taipei.
The KMT also submitted signatures for a separate referendum proposal to ask voters if they agree that referendums should be held on the same day as nationwide elections, if a nationwide election is scheduled to be held one to six months after a referendum proposal has been approved.
Speaking outside the CEC’s offices, Chiang said that the KMT submitted 20,170 signatures for the “food safety referendum” and 12,519 signatures for the latter petition.
Chiang said he is the lead proposer of the referendum petition on holding referendums on the same day as nationwide elections, while KMT legislative caucus whip Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) is the lead proposer of the “food safety referendum.”
He urged the CEC not to block the proposals, as doing so would not only block the KMT and supporters of the proposed referendums, but also public opinion.
When indirect democracy has lost its function, referendums are a way to demonstrate direct democracy, he said.
Dressed in T-shirts bearing the words “No ractopamine pork,” Chiang and other KMT members chanted slogans including “The people want a referendum, support Taiwanese pork,” and “The people want health, no ractopamine pork” outside the CEC.
Under the Referendum Act (公民投票法), referendums can be held every two years, with the next possible date being Aug. 28 next year.
To hold a national referendum, a number equal to 1.5 percent of voters in the most recent presidential election must sign a petition supporting the referendum proposal.
There were 19,311,105 eligible voters in the Jan. 11 presidential election, according to CEC data.
Additional reporting by CNA
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
RSS