Ma likens plebiscites to Cultural Revolution

Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday likened the Cabinet's holding of non-biding referendums to China's Cultural Revolution, according to Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍).

"Some China-based Taiwanese businesspeople have mentioned to me that they didn't know the Cultural Revolution was still going on until they came back here," Lin quoted Ma as saying during the press conference held after the weekly closed-door Cabinet meeting yesterday morning.

Ma was apparently accusing the central government of whipping up populist fervor to undermine the nation's legitimate political institutions.

Ma also criticized government agencies for being ambiguous toward the recently held advisory referendum in Pinglin, Taipei County.

"Although I agree that people should exercise the right of referendum, which is guaranteed by the Constitution, it's illegitimate to hold a non-binding referendum since there's no existing legal basis for holding one," Ma said.

Ma reportedly made the remark during the public opinion analysis session led by Government Information Office head Huang Hui-chen (黃輝珍).

Pinglin residents voted last Saturday in a referendum to request that the central government open a service ramp linking Pinglin and the Peiyi Freeway.

About 98 percent of the those who cast ballots voted in favor of having the Taipei-Ilan Freeway, currently under construction, include a Pinglin exit.

"Besides, it's clearly deceiving to hold a consultative referendum, which is referential in nature and not much different from a regular opinion poll," Ma said.

His controversial remarks yesterday created heated debate among government officials.

Echoing Ma's view, Environmental Protection Administrator Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said he himself does not support holding advisory referendums because they may cause a domino effect.

"The referendum law should specifically stipulate that certain issues such as those in relation to environmental protection should not be the topic of a referendum because it's a professional issue," he said.

Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), chairwoman of the Mainland Affairs Council, said that it is "inappropriate" and "disappointing" to liken the holding of referendums to the Cultural Revolution.

"We should face and debate the issue [of referendums] calmly and reasonably. It's inappropriate to equate a legal dispute with the government's management of the nation," she said.

Minister without Portfolio Hsu Chih-hsiung (許志雄), assigned by Yu to head the Cabinet's referendum review committee, said that it is a mistake to regard a consultative referendum as an opinion poll.

"While only a few people are questioned in an opinion poll, all the nation's people participate in a national referendum, and all regional citizens are polled in a regional one," he said.

Citing the examples of the UK and France, Hsu said the nation doesn't necessarily need referendum legislation to conduct a referendum.

He also said the Cabinet's means for holding referendums are legal and constitutional, and that they were drawn up in case referendum legislation cannot be passed in time.

Minister without Portfolio Yeh Jiunn-rong (葉俊榮) said Ma twisted the spirit of the Constitution.

"His argument is like putting the cart before the horse," he said. "A referendum is necessary when political, legal and judicial means cannot solve major controversial policies and the implementation of a referendum has to be complimented with political wisdom."