Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) yesterday affirmed that the Executive Yuan's decision to scrap the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (核四) over three months ago was correct, and that last week's decision to resume the project was a compromise made under the pressure of current political conditions.
Chang made the remarks while delivering his policy address to the legislature and accepting interpellation from legislators.
He kept repeating these points even when he was asked by opposition legislators as to whether the decision-making process involved any personal political responsibility.
"The majority of the grand justices have determined that the halt to the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant project did not involve any constitutional or legal violations. Furthermore, the procedural flaws involving the executive and legislative branches have been made up for," Chang told the legislators.
He insisted the reasons on which the announcement was based remain valid today, including the Executive Yuan's assessment that the decision would not lead to a power shortage, the lack of an effective way to dispose of nuclear waste and the potential danger of a nuclear power plant.
However, Chang added, the Executive Yuan had to change this decision and resume the project to conform to a "new legal and political order" in which the DPP is a minority in the legislature.
Chang said ensuring political stability and the nation's economic development were two other considerations behind the resumption of the project.
"If we let this political stalemate continue, it would definitely worsen the economy and rock society, and the people would be the biggest losers. Therefore, we had to face up to the reality, making this painful choice and accepting the resumption of the project," Chang said.
Chang reiterated the Executive Yuan's wish to set up a mechanism to resolve controversial public policies through referendums in the future, which he said can make up for the deficiencies of a representative democracy.
Chang promised he will work toward the ultimate goal of building a nuclear-free Taiwan.
"I hereby emphasize to all the people that the continuation of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant isn't the end of sustainable development, but a middle point in Taiwan's path toward achieving a nuclear-free country," Chang said.
Unconvinced, legislators including independent Liao Hsueh-kuang (廖學廣) and Josephine Chu (朱惠良) as well as Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) and Chen Chen-sheng (陳振盛) from the People First Party pressed Chang to tell them if he would accept political responsibility.
New Party legislators Hau Lung-bin (
Hau and Lai criticized the Executive Yuan as trying to extend the dispute, because it is still thinking about putting the project to a referendum after it resumed the project based on a resolution passed by a majority of legislators on Jan. 31.
"You are not showing respect for the constitutional system if you are putting the project to a referendum.
"Over the past nine months, the government has been running in circles about whether to continue the power plant project and whether to hold a referendum. It's time to put a stop to this," Hau said.
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