Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) yesterday promised former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) that the pan-blue camp will support national referendums on the topics of legislative reform and whether to continue with the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant.
"We are advocating different stances on the nuclear power plant issue, yet we should not deprive people of their right to directly express their opinion," Lien told Lin, who led an anti-nuclear group in a protest in front of the KMT's headquarters.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
"I assure you that if the DPP proposes holding a referendum on the construction of the power plant, the KMT will not oppose it," he said.
Lien also said that since his party signed a joint declaration in the 2001 legislative election to push for a legislative downsizing project, as well as some other legislative reforms, he would ask the party's legislative caucus to put their words into action, even if it has to support the DPP's proposal of reducing the number of seats in the Legislative Yuan by half.
The Nuke-4 Referendum Initiative Association (
Lin, a die-hard anti-nuclear activist and senior democratic movement leader, participated in both protests. Yesterday he represented the association in a dialogue with Lien, who welcomed Lin outside in a good-will gesture.
Lin responded positively to Lien's gesture, saying that he had seen the KMT's sincerity and that he approved of Lien's manner.
He said that the association had listed five problems in the new Referendum Law (公民投票法), which he said had been influenced by some selfish and power-grabbing politicians.
"Completely violating the real spirit of ensuring the exercise of direct civil rights by all citizens, some articles of the Referendum Law actually places obstacles in the way of implementing those rights," Lin said.
He said he hopes that the KMT will support the association's idea of amending the law, and more importantly, that it will realize its promise to accomplish legislative reforms.
Lien responded that he and his party are willing to review the law and to make it perfect.
Lin praised Lien for showing the character of a "responsible politician," but he also urged the KMT to carry out Lien's promises.
"We will monitor whether the party is stepping on the path its chairman has shown us, and we will send a representative to get the KMT's final answer next Tuesday," Lin told the media.
President Chen Shui-bian (
The Cabinet had pledged to launch an "advisory referendum" on the nuclear issue, but this was before the legislature passed the Referendum Law on Nov. 27. The new law regulates that the implementation of a national referendum must be decided by an ad hoc referendum supervisory committee, which is organized by legislators.
The DPP and anti-nuclear groups have said that because the pan-blue camp, which opposes the suspension of the plant's construction, has a majority in the legislature, the committee would definitely turn down any referendum proposal on the nuclear issue.
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