KMT denounces government proposal

A DPP legislative leader yesterday said the proposed administrative decree for implementing a national referendum could bypass the legislature's review.

"The proposed decree can be implemented without advance approval from the legislature since its was drafted by the Executive Yuan in accordance with the Constitution and Administrative Procedure Law (行政程序法)," said Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) one day after the Cabinet unveiled its hope to carry out referendums on issues such as the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant project.

The decree sparked disputes among lawmakers yesterday. Opposition members denounced the Cabinet's proposal, saying that the administrative decree showed the Executive Yuan's intent to ignore the legislature.

"The premier had ignored legislative power by proposing to carry out referendums in accordance with an administrative decree," said KMT legislative leader Liu Cheng-hung (劉政鴻).

"The caucus decided that, once the Executive Yuan insists on implementing a referendum on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant's construction plan, we will demand another referendum to conclude the proposed health insurance hike," Liu said.

The KMT caucus leader was explicit that his party will not consent to ideas that suggest consigning important debates such as the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant to a referendum.

"A referendum cannot conclude the fate of these major construction projects since the halt would lead to enormous social costs," Liu said.

Despite being abroad, Legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) also made a comment on the referendum yesterday.

Legislation on people's power of initiative and referendum should be promptly finalized to offer the country a legal basis for carrying out referendums on public policy issues, Wang said during his visit in the US.

Wang said that he nevertheless hoped that implementing a referendum should avoid disputes on sovereignty, such as changing the name of the nation, the national flag or issues dealing with the country's territory.