Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers sent a petition for an "anti-corruption" referendum to the government for review yesterday, saying that they had more than the 830,000 signatures needed for a formal proposal.
The KMT said its campaign was aimed at demanding officials convicted for corruption return their illegally gotten profits, which it called "national assets," to the public.
It also targets officials who formulate policies that benefit them and their cronies but are bad for the nation's economic development and the public.
PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES
KMT Secretary-General Wu Den-yi (
"Through putting their signatures on the petition, 1.05 million people have voiced their indignation at the DPP government. They wanted to help the country's 23 million people get justice," Wu told a press conference.
The KMT lawmakers said the referendum would ask the public: "Do you agree with enacting a law to investigate the president and his key staff regarding their policy errors that have caused great losses to the nation, and authorizing the legislature to form an investigative committee with which all government departments must cooperate in order to uphold the public interest, punish errant officials and demand they return illicit gains to the state?"
Tseng Yung-chuan (
Wu said the KMT wants the referendum to be held with next year's presidential election.
He denied the party was trying to counteract a DPP bid to hold a referendum on retrieving the KMT's stolen assets.
"The [KMT proposal] is very funny and obviously an imitation of [the DPP referendum bid]," DPP caucus whip Wang Tuoh (
Wang said the DPP would support efforts to recover national assets stolen by the KMT when it was in office.
DPP Legislator Huang Wei-cher (
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
The US Department of State on Monday reaffirmed that US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, following US President Donald Trump’s use of the term “unification” while commenting on recent trade talks with China. Speaking at a wide-ranging press conference, Trump described what he viewed as progress in trade negotiations with China held in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend. “They’ve agreed to open China — fully open China, and I think it’s going to be fantastic for China. I think it’s going to be fantastic for us,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to be great for unification and peace.” Trump’s use of the
RSS