Five Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday went against the party line in several rounds of voting initiated by the opposition to try to stop the construction of the controversial Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Gongliao District (貢寮), but the attempts all ended in failure.
At the plenary session, KMT lawmakers Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) and Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) voted in favor of a motion calling for a proposal which demanded an immediate halt to construction of the power plant to be discussed at the meeting.
The motion was tabled by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) and supported by the People First Party (PFP).
Photo: Sam Yeh / AFP
In another two votes on a motion that proposed calling for the legislature to establish an ad hoc committee to investigate safety concerns at the power plant, another KMT lawmaker, Lin Kuo-cheng (林國正), sided with the opposition to vote in favor, while KMT lawmakers Liao Cheng-ching (廖正井) and Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) abstained.
Five other KMT lawmakers failed to show up for the meeting.
Prior to the plenary session, DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) attended a DPP caucus meeting yesterday morning and called for President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who doubles as KMT chairman, to “let go” and allow KMT lawmakers to vote according to their own will rather than complying with the KMT’s position.
The KMT caucus said that party lawmakers who failed to vote as they were instructed risked being fined at least NT$10,000 (US$334) because the party on Thursday issued a “Grade-A mobilization order” to all KMT caucus members to block motions about the power plant made by the opposition.
The KMT has 63 caucus members, excluding Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and Deputy Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), KMT caucus whip Ling Hung-chih (林鴻池) said, adding that the KMT would deal with the cases according to party disciplinary procedures.
As public sentiment against the power plant continues to grow, mainly because of concerns over safety and the lack of nuclear waste disposal facilities, the government has been facing an uphill struggle to win support from KMT lawmakers for its proposal to hold a national referendum to determine the fate of the plant.
Critics have said that the way the question would be framed in a possible referendum — “Do you agree that the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant should be halted and that it not become operational (你是否同意核四廠停止興建不得運轉)?” — would allow construction of the plant to continue by default because of the high threshold required by the Referendum Act (公民投票法).
The proposal, co-sponsored by 32 KMT lawmakers and led by Lee Ching-hua (李慶華), was submitted to the legislature yesterday.
Once the proposal is approved by the legislature, a referendum must be held no sooner than one month and no later than six months later.
The PFP yesterday proposed a motion that the legislature schedule a vote on whether the building of the plant should continue and whether it should begin commercial operations and then let the public vote in a plebiscite to endorse the legislature’s decision or veto it.
It was “irresponsible” that a decision on the plant be left up to the public while lawmakers wash their hands of it, PFP caucus whip Thomas Lee (李桐豪) said.
All DPP and TSU lawmakers voted in support of the motion, while all 59 KMT lawmakers present at the meeting were against it.
Additional reporting by Chris Wang
SOLIDARITY: A group of European lawmakers condemned China’s aggressive moves, while the foreign minister of Lithuania said Taiwan ‘cannot become a second Ukraine’ A German parliamentary delegation would visit Taiwan in the first week of October, German lawmaker Holger Becker on Monday told visiting Democratic Progressive Party legislators Fan Yun (范雲) and Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) at the Bundestag in Berlin. Asked by Fan whether he is worried about possible reprisals from Beijing, such as banning him and his family from entering China, Becker said he is more interested in visiting Taiwan, as “now is the time for democracies to stand together.” Fan and Lin also met with German officials to exchange views on digital education and governance. Investing in digital infrastructure and protecting equal rights to
‘IRRATIONAL ACTS’: The defense ministry condemned the drills, during which China tested successors to missiles deployed during the Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1995 and 1996 China yesterday fired several Dongfeng ballistic missiles as it began four days of unprecedented military drills off Taiwan proper following US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei the previous day. On Tuesday, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) said Beijing would “take all necessary measures” in retaliation should Pelosi visit Taiwan during her Asia tour. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from 1:56pm to 4pm fired 11 Dongfeng missiles into waters north, east and south of Taiwan proper, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. Taiwanese armed forces, using “forward warning and surveillance mechanisms,” monitored the missile tests
ANNEXATION PLANS: Remarks by the Chinese ambassador to France showed that Beijing seeks to normalize genocide, re-education and gulags, a US official said European and US officials condemned comments from Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye (盧沙野), after he on Wednesday said that Taiwanese would be “re-educated” after any annexation by China. In an interview on French television, Lu accused the Democratic Progressive Party of “extremist” propaganda and turning Taiwanese against “reunification” with China. “We will re-educate. I’m sure that the Taiwanese population will again become favorable of the reunification and will become patriots again,” Lu told BFM TV. The term “re-education” has been used to describe Chinese authorities’ treatment of Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang. European Parliament Subcommittee on Security and Defense Chairwoman
‘SIMULATED ATTACKS’: Ten warships each from China and Taiwan were maneuvering at close quarters in the Taiwan Strait, with some Chinese vessels crossing the median line Taiwan yesterday reiterated that it would not succumb to pressure from Beijing after China carried out its most provocative military drills in decades in retaliation for US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan last week. “We will never bow to pressure. We uphold freedom and democracy, and believe Taiwanese disapprove [of] China’s bullying actions with force and saber rattling at our door,” Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday. China had “arrogantly” disrupted regional peace and stability, he said, calling on Beijing to not flex its military muscles. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has also called on the international community to “support
RSS