After proposing that the fate of the controversial Fourth Nuclear Power Plant should be put to a referendum, Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) yesterday said he would resign if the government “loses the vote” and construction of the plant is halted.
Fielding questions from Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Lin Shih-chia (林世嘉) at a question-and-answer session in the legislature, Jiang said he had not yet decided whether he would cast his ballot in the plebiscite.
He said his decision to participate in the referendum was contingent on “how the referendum question is phrased.”
A decision was made at a meeting called by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) earlier last week that the longstanding issue be settled through a referendum, and that the vote is to be initiated by KMT lawmakers tabling a proposal in the legislature, with voters being asked: “Do you support halting construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant?”
The government has come under fire from the opposition and anti-nuclear groups, saying the move was designed to weaken the anti-nuclear movement, given the high threshold required for a referendum to pass. A referendum would require mobilizing more than 9.15 million people, or half the eligible voters, to vote and earn 4.57 million “yes” votes to have the plant cease construction.
Judging from the low turnout in the previous six referendums, all held on the same day as a national election, the chance that the referendum would pass appears low.
Lin said Jiang’s immediate response to her question showed that the referendum was politically motivated, adding that she would otherwise have encouraged people to vote so that they could express their views.
“As an initiator of the referendum, he [Jiang] should show his enthusiasm for the referendum and call on all people, regardless of their position, to cast their ballots. ... Isn’t he supposed to encourage public participation in the referendum?” Lin said.
During the meeting, Jiang engaged in a fierce exchange of words with several opposition lawmakers.
According to the Referendum Act (公民投票法), at least five debates must be held for national referendums.
If the question is phrased as the KMT has proposed, it would lead to a “ridiculous” situation during debate because KMT lawmakers, who initiated the referendum, are on the side in support of the referendum and government representatives are against the vote, the side against the topic, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Pan Men-an (潘孟安) said.
Jiang said that KMT lawmakers do not necessarily have to attend the debates.
“We don’t know who will be on the affirmative side in the debates yet. Maybe anti-nuclear experts can be on the side in lieu of KMT lawmakers,” Jiang said.
“It’s so irresponsible. You leave the issue to be decided by a referendum and you cannot represent yourself in the debates. Isn’t that preposterous?” Pan asked.
Jiang bluntly rejected the idea advocated by the DPP and anti-nuclear groups that the referendum question should be phrased in a way that asks people if the government should continue construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant.
“If we have a plan to build a new nuclear power plant and we will have a referendum on that, we should ask people if they support the plan. Since the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant has been under construction, the question should be whether people want to change the policy to cease construction,” Jiang said.
In response to comments by KMT Legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔), Jiang said he would step down to take political responsibility if the government lost in the referendum.
He said that if construction of the plant is halted, it could lead to bankruptcy for state-owned Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) and other problems, such as power shortages.
“As the premier, I am responsible for that. I will resign,” he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS