KMT holds firm, DPP to take offensive on Referendum Act

In cross-party negotiations scheduled for next week, the DPP will push to lower the Referendum Act's vote threshold from 50 percent to 20 percent of all eligible voters, announced caucus whip Pan Meng-an (潘孟安) yesterday.

At the DPP's main headquarters, Chairman Su Tseng-chang said that the ruling administration knows the 50-percent threshold ensures failure of their referendum on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant.

“Everyone has noticed that the government is not interested in resolving the dispute (through referendum), but to use an unreasonable law to ensure that construction continues,” he said.

“We can clearly see that the KMT is a reactionary party and a crooked government.”

Meanwhile, the KMT caucus said it may consider revisions to the number of signatures needed to initiate a referendum, and to approve a referendum in its second-stage petition.

But the final vote threshold stays, said KMT Secretary-General Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆).

“If just a 20-percent turnout can decide the fate of the nation and major policies, then we may as well get rid of the parliamentary system,” he said.

Earlier this week, Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) called for a national referendum on the fate of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, a public project that has been beset with construction delays and public controversy for two decades.

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February 28, 2013    janejane_cks87@

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Under the law of Republic of China, a referendum must have over 50% turnout of all eligible voters, so that the referendum will be effective, productive and capable of producing a result.

DPP's lack common sense with bad judgment.

March 2, 2013    ludahai_twn@

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The passage threshold for a referendum in Taiwan is among the highest in the democratic world. Fewer votes are required to be elected president than to pass a resolution. The Referendum Law is a blatant violation of the goals of Article 16 of the ROC Constitution that was imposed on Taiwan by the KMT.

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