The Presidential Office yesterday said that the controversy over the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (
President Chen Shui-bian (
"The president believes the third option must satisfy majority public opinion, even though most people are in favor of resuming construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant," a source in the Presidential Office told the Taipei Times.
Some KMT and DPP lawmakers have offered suggestions as to the way forward, including "building the nuclear power plant but never using it" or "passing an energy law to regulate the government's management of energy supply policy (
"These are only two possibilities and the president believes that more will be offered during the negotiations," sources said. "The president will choose the one which will best satisfy public opinion and stabilize the political situation."
"And the third option, whatever it is, should be passed into law, so that the president and the government will obey it," sources said.
Sources told the Taipei Times that Chen will not set any prerequisites and will "even have to consider accepting resumption of construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant."
The sources told the Taipei Times that "the president only expects to identify an appropriate means of satisfying both sides as soon as possible."
"Political power can't completely resolve conflicts in public opinion," they said. "The politicians may reach a compromise, but the fight between the pro- and anti-nuclear lobbies will not end."
The opposition party alliance, however, was dismissive of the president's goodwill, saying that Chen, whom they accused of triggering the fight between the Executive Yuan and the Legislative Yuan, was not qualified to serve as a mediator.
"We all know that the decision [to scrap the nuclear power plant] was made by the president, and Premier Chang Chun-hsiung was just Chen's sidekick," said KMT lawmaker Ting Shou-chung (
Aides said the president had been briefed by Chang on his report to the Legislative Yuan on Tuesday, in which Chang pitched for a nuclear-free Taiwan and pointed out the possible risks of a nuclear disaster.
The KMT, however, pointed the finger at Chen, saying the president should take responsibility for the turmoil of the past three months and follow the resolution of the Legislative Yuan.
"The president should know that all the chaos of the past three months was caused by his erroneous decision [to halt construction of the plant], which will cost NT$100 billion in losses, according to some scholars' estimates," said KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
"We appeal to President Chen to abandon the DPP's ideology and to accept the final resolution of the Legislative Yuan," Lien said.
"But we have only heard the president continue to shout `March forward, we are afraid of nothing,'" Lien said.
"We hope that President Chen will `rein in his horses at the edge of the precipice,'" Lien said, "because we will not jump with him."
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