KMT calls for boycott of DPP plebiscite on UN bid

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday urged the public to support its referendum on "rejoining" the UN and boycott the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) referendum on joining the world body.

The two referendums will be held together with the presidential election next Saturday.

KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) lashed out at President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) for using the referendum to manipulate the presidential election and provoke the US, which has expressed its opposition to the DPP's pursuit of "name change via the referendum."

"The DPP referendum has brought danger across the Taiwan Strait and squeezed Taiwan's international space," Wu said, announcing the KMT's decision after a meeting of the Central Standing Committee at party headquarters.

The DPP referendum proposes joining the UN using the name "Taiwan," while the KMT initiative calls for rejoining the world body under the name "Republic of China" or any other "practical title" that upholds the nation's dignity.

Wu said that the KMT-initiated referendum was an expression of the public's desire to join the UN and other international organizations in a flexible and pragmatic way without damaging US-Taiwan relations.

Wu and KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) campaign manager Chan Chun-po (詹春柏) said that the decision was a consensus reached between the party and the Ma camp, although some KMT members expressed their opposition to both referendums during yesterday's meeting.

"Although the KMT's version was presented by KMT vice presidential candidate Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), I will not support either referendum because of my opposition to holding them together with the election," KMT Legislator John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) said.

KMT Legislator Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) and Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) also called for a boycott of both referendums.

While urging voters to support the KMT's referendum bid, Wu said the party would respect members who boycott both referendums.

"We understand and respect such a stance. They plan to boycott both referendums as a protest against the president's manipulation of referendums," Wu said.

In response to Chen's offer to decouple the referendums from the presidential election in return for lowering the voting threshold for referendums, Wu said the threshold was set by the legislature and the KMT would not respond to the president's unreasonable request.

Wu said the party was willing to review the Referendum Law (公投法) after the election, but not now.

The Referendum Law requires a 50 percent voter turnout -- or approximately 8 million voters -- for the results to be declared valid.

Wu also promised to continue pushing a KMT proposal called "Taiwanese People's Demand to Join the UN" in the legislature.

In response to the KMT's decision, the DPP legislative caucus yesterday urged the KMT and its supporters to respect the spirit of democracy and participate in both referendums.

"The KMT is more than welcome to encourage its supporters to support or veto either of the two referendums but, please, do not give up your rights for both," DPP caucus whip William Lai (賴清德) said at a press conference.

Lai said that the KMT's proposal had been endorsed by more than 1 million people and boycotting it would mean contradicting itself.

"You can vote no, but you should participate in the referendum. That is the message we would like to deliver to the KMT and its supporters," Lai said.