Academics begin campaign to recall Taipei City mayor

A group of university professors launched a campaign yesterday to recall Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and lawmakers opposed to the March 20 referendum.

Members of the Taiwan Peace Foundation (台灣和平基金會), comprised of university professors and school teachers, held a news conference yesterday to push for recalling Ma. They said Ma is incompetent because of his chronic reactionary remarks toward the referendum, such as his labeling of the vote a violation of the Constitution and saying President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) referendum plan is "a flagrant crime."

Foundation member Kao Cheng-yan (高成炎), a professor of computer science at the National Taiwan University, said Ma and pan-blue lawmakers have continued to come up with excuses in an effort to block the referendum.

Kao said the referendum is based on Article 17 of the Referendum Law (公民投票法) passed last November.

Wang Tu-fa (王塗發), head of the Taiwan Professors Association (台灣教授協會), said: "Ma has been fighting the tide of direct democracy and opposing people's right to participate in a referendum."

Besides Ma, the foundation criticized Chinese Nationalist Party legislators John Chang (章孝嚴) and Alex Tsai (蔡正元) for their vocal opposition to the referendum and pro-unification stance.

Kao said a recall is feasible if people unite.

According to Article 70 and Article 74 of the Election and Recall Law (選罷法), Kao said, if the foundation collects about 50,000 signatures from Taipei residents, representing 2 percent of the electorate, then a recall motion can proceed. If they collect signatures representing 13 percent of the electorate, then the recall could be put to a vote on March 20, the same day as the presidential election.

A successful recall requires a 50 percent turnout, meaning more than 400,000 Taipei City residents would need to vote.

Kao said the foundation would set up petition booths on Feb. 28, when a demonstration will be held to promote peace and oppose China's missiles.

If they do not collect enough signatures on Feb. 28, they will resume their efforts on March 20, Kao said.

Taipei City Government spokesman Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) said Ma has been supportive of the referendum, adding the foundation's recall campaign was untenable.