The nuclear emergency at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant has been going on for three months. As the crisis drags on, many countries are re-evaluating their atomic energy policies. Not so Taiwan. President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has been using obscurantist language to present the simplistic reasoning that the abolition of nuclear power cannot coexist with a reduction of carbon emissions, thus implying Taiwan’s nuclear energy policy cannot or should not change.
At the same time, related government agencies have failed to set up real and effective channels for dialog with the public, nor have they proposed a concrete and complete energy policy package.
In the 21st century, democratic countries with open societies employ a range of methods when forming national consensus and planning government policy. It is widely accepted that governments should explain their policies and the reasoning behind them to the public, pay heed to pluralistic public opinion and proposals, give the public equal access to the media and hold debates on policy issues.
Referendums are a way of putting open democracy into practice since they allow the public to take part in the process of policymaking by forming a rational force for social change. Referendums also help policymakers reach the best possible decisions. They are a win-win solution for the government and the public.
In Switzerland, for example, referendums are a necessary part of the procedure when there is an application to build a nuclear power plant. A nuclear power station can only be built if it is approved through a referendum by the people living in the area. Switzerland has held at least six nationwide referendums in the past 30 years on major policies related to nuclear and other forms of energy.
We can also look to the examples of the US and Japan — both countries have actively developed nuclear power and have held numerous nuclear referendums at state and local levels.
France generates a higher proportion of its electricity through nuclear power than any other country. In a recent poll published in the French weekly Journal de Dimanche, 15 percent of respondents said they would like to see France’s nuclear power plants quickly decommissioned, while a further 62 percent were in favor of a gradual shutdown. With public opinion turning against nuclear energy, France’s Socialist Party has said that it will organize a nationwide debate on a possible energy transition for next year, when a presidential election will be held.
In March, the Taiwan Thinktank conducted a public opinion poll, in which nearly 60 percent of respondents said that construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant should be halted and reconsidered. Do you hear the voice of the people, President Ma? The Taiwanese public have the right to decide what direction nuclear policy should take.
The pan-blue and pan-green political camps have been arguing about nuclear energy policy for more than two decades. Now the time has come to listen to what ordinary people have to say. Many democratic countries are using referendums to reflect the public’s value judgements and seek consensus on nuclear energy policy. Only by holding a referendum and starting out from the angle of popular participation can we ensure that Taiwan’s nuclear energy policy does not once again get bogged down in political conflicts between the blue and green camps.
Only by putting the question to a popular vote can we find a just direction for nuclear power policy in this country.
Wang Kuan-hua is an associate researcher at the Taiwan Thinktank.
TRANSLATED BY JULIAN CLEGG
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