The DPP yesterday released the results of an opinion poll indicating that more than half of the public support holding referendums on major policies.
The party also declared it would hold a referendum on public policy before President Chen Shui-bian's (
"Despite opposition from around the world to Taiwan holding a referendum, more than 58 percent of the respondents in the poll think Taiwan should be firm and pass legislation on referendums," DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lee Ying-yuan (
"Of the 58 percent, 48 percent demand that Taiwan pass the draft bill for the referendum law as soon as possible," Lee said.
He said that the results of the poll revealed how popular the idea of the referendum had become among Taiwanese.
"A referendum means the right of initiation stipulated in the Constitution, but these rights have been deprived by the KMT government in the past. The DPP vows to return these rights to the people," Lee said.
The poll, conducted on Monday, asked people whether they supported Taiwan's efforts to pass legislation on referendums despite opposition from the rest of the world.
Twenty-six percent of respondents disagreed with the idea of referendum legislation and 17 percent said they had no comment about the issue.
Lee said Beijing was the main force opposing referendums in Taiwan and had pressured the US to dissuade Taipei from passing the required legislation.
"Taiwan pursues cross-strait stability and peace. Taiwanese people have been maturing after getting direct election and recall rights. Now they want to use the referendum right to decide public policies and there is no doubt that they could use this right. The US should respect this fact," he said.
Lee said there was nothing Beijing could do to stop this country holding referendums if that is what the people want.
"The exact date of a referendum will be decided by the Executive Yuan, but one thing for sure is that we definitely will carry out the policy to hold a referendum before President Chen's presidency expires on May 20 next year," Lee said.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
A British man was arrested for attempting to smuggle 14.37kg of marijuana into Taiwan through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Customs said late yesterday. The man, who arrived from Bangkok at 9pm on Friday, was asked by customs officers to open his luggage during a random inspection, Taipei Customs said in a news release. The passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, refused to open his suitcase and tried to flee the restricted area. He was eventually subdued by three customs officials and an Aviation Police Bureau officer. A later search of his checked luggage uncovered 14.37kg of marijuana buds. The case was handed over
RSS