Mon, Dec 31, 2007 page3

• Parties seek to boycott referendums

  • By Flora Wang / STAFF REPORTER
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  Six minor political parties competing with the nation's two major political camps for 34 legislator-at-large seats in next month's legislative poll yesterday called on voters to boycott all referendums proposed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).

  "We are all aware that the proposed referendums are nothing but lies," Huang Kuang-kuo (黃光國), convener of the Democratic Action Alliance (DAA), told a press conference.

  Huang said both the DPP and the KMT had manipulated their referendum proposals to boost their electoral performance.

  

  Democratic Action Alliance convener Huang Kuang-kuo, center, speaks at a press conference at National Taiwan University Alumni Club yesterday. He is accompanied by representatives from the Hakka Party, the Civic Party, the Home Party and the New Party.

  PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES

  "Take the DPP's proposed referendum on the recovery of the KMT's stolen assets, for example. If the KMT's assets were indeed national assets, the DPP should be able to recover them through lawsuits," Huang said.

  "Why didn't the DPP do so over the past eight years instead of proposing the referendum now?" He said.

  Huang said the KMT's proposed anti-corruption referendum was equally deceitful because the pan-blue camp, which occupies the majority in the legislature, should have been able to combat corruption by pushing through "sunshine bills."

  The two major parties have occupied most media coverage with their "fake issues" in a bid to threaten the survival of small parties in the legislative race, he said.

  "We are particularly dissatisfied with the KMT's recent performance," Huang said.

  "It proposed a referendum on `returning' to the UN using the national title `Republic of China' to counteract the DPP's proposed UN referendum, but it allowed its legislator-at-large candidate to launch a campaign to boycott all referendums," he said.

  "This shows that the KMT suffers from a split political personality," he said.

  Huang said the minor parties' boycott campaign would serve as a common appeal to voters in next month's legislative election, urging voters who share the same views about the proposed referendums to vote for them.

  In the new "single district, two vote" system, voters will be able to vote for their preferred political party in addition to casting ballots for a legislative candidate.

  The parties that are endorsing the campaign include the DAA, the Home Party established by leaders of the demonstrations against President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) last year, the Civil Party, the New Party, the Taiwan Farmers Party, the Hakka Party and the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union.

  Vice Chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation Chang Chun-hung (張俊宏) also threw his support behind the six parties.

  The former acting DPP chairman said he would do his best to promote a "third political force" as an "expiator."

  "I pushed hard for Taiwan's democracy and did a lot for the DPP. However, the DPP has caused such a difficult situation [for the nation] since it came into office," he said.

  "I am partially responsible for this," said Chang, whose rights as a DPP member have been suspended by the party.

  On Oct. 25, Chang was sentenced to 11 years in prison for embezzling funds from Formosa Telecom Investment (全民電通投資公司), where he was president in 1996.
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