Allowing for popular referendums on future constitutional amendments is a way to block moves toward Taiwan's independence, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman and Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday.
Ma made the remarks in response to claims by Democratic Action Alliance (DAA) activists that inclusion of the right to referendums into the Constitution would promote independence.
Inclusion of the right to referendums in the Constitution is one of the items in the reform package passed by the legislature last August that the 300 delegates of the National Assembly will be charged with approving or rejecting. The National Assembly election will be held today, with 12 political parties and civic groups running in the elections.
Dismissing the activists' claims, Ma said that allowing for referendums on constitutional amendments would make proposals aimed at promoting Taiwan independence or changing the Republic of China's status quo harder to pass.
When the National Assembly is formally disbanded -- another one of the items in the constitutional reform package -- any proposed constitutional amendments redefining the nation's territory or the ROC's formal designation to contain the word "Taiwan" will first have to be passed by the Legislative Yuan and then approved by the Taiwanese people through a referendum, Ma said, adding that this will make changing the status quo more difficult.
Meanwhile, Ma continued to urge the public to come out to vote for today's National Assembly election.
Other items in the constitutional reform package that the National Assembly delegates will deal with include reducing the number of legislative seats from the present 225 to 113, and adopting a "single seat, two votes" legislative electoral system starting with the legislature to be elected in 2007.
The 300 delegate seats for the National Assembly will be allotted to the 12 parties and groups based on the proportion of votes they garner in the election.
DAA convenor Chang Ya-chung (張亞中), a political science professor at National Taiwan University, said that there was no "rational debates or discussions" before the constitutional and electoral reform package was passed by the legislature last year.
If the package is passed by the National Assembly, it will be disastrous for the nation and the people, Chang claimed, adding that inclusion of the right to referendums in the Constitution would lead to de facto independence.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
Taiwanese celebrities Hank Chen (陳漢典) and Lulu Huang (黃路梓茵) announced yesterday that they are planning to marry. Huang announced and posted photos of their engagement to her social media pages yesterday morning, joking that the pair were not just doing marketing for a new show, but “really getting married.” “We’ve decided to spend all of our future happy and hilarious moments together,” she wrote. The announcement, which was later confirmed by the talent agency they share, appeared to come as a surprise even to those around them, with veteran TV host Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) saying he was “totally taken aback” by the news. Huang,
RSS