Hsieh proposes a third UN referendum

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday suggested holding a third referendum on joining the UN that was acceptable to both pan-greens and pan-blues to prevent the referendums from failing and creating a false impression that the public opposed joining the global body.

"If we don't talk with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) [about the UN referendums] in advance, the KMT will just launch a boycott, as a result of which the two UN referendums will both die together," Hsieh said.

He was referring to a DPP-backed referendum on joining the UN using the name "Taiwan" and a KMT-initiated referendum on "rejoining" the UN under the name the Republic of China (ROC) or any other "practical" title that would uphold the country's dignity.

Hsieh that the new KMT-controlled legislature, which will convene next Friday, propose a referendum which the DPP would support if the KMT was seriously committed to pushing for the country to rejoin the UN.

"That way, I hope the KMT will not again decide to boycott the referendum, because that would inflict serious damage to the country," Hsieh said.

"The only difference between the two proposals is the name we should use in applying for a UN seat. As long as the KMT doesn't include the People's Republic of China, Tibet and Mongolia in its territorial definition of the ROC, we should tolerate each other," he said.

If the UN referendums fail to pass the legal threshold, set at 50 percent of eligible voters, it might create an impression that the public opposes joining the UN, he said.

The Central Election Commission is scheduled to meet tomorrow to decide whether the two referendums will be held alongside the presidential election on March 22.

The failure of two referendums, which were held in conjunction with the legislative elections on Jan. 12, to meet legal threshold to be considered valid has prompted calls that the UN referendums be held separately from the March presidential election.

The referendums -- a DPP initiative on recovering the KMT's stolen assets and a KMT proposal to grant the legislature power to investigate misconduct by senior government officials and their family members -- failed after just 26 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots in each of the referendums.

In the run-up to the referendums, the KMT called for a boycott, saying the DPP had twisted the purpose of the referendums and used them as a tool to provoke conflict.

Hsieh reiterated his call for voters to cast "yes" votes in the two UN referendums.

"There are other methods [to enhance the chances of success of the UN bid], but it's not for me to say here because that falls under the president's jurisdiction," Hsieh said.

Hsieh apparently referring to the president's authority, as stated in Article 17 of the Referendum Law (公投法), to call a "defensive referendum."

Hsieh the notion of withdrawing the two referendums or revising their context, saying they should be unchanged as they formed the basis for the collection of people's signatures -- a prerequisite to holding the referendums.

Meanwhile, KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) said his party was not against referendums, but opposed holding them alongside major elections.

He said that if the government was sincere in promoting the nation's UN bid, it could choose another referendum date.

In related news, the KMT is considering inviting Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to introduce a bill in the legislature urging the government to apply for or regain UN membership under the name Republic of China, as a measure to solve the UN bid referendum disputes, a party official said yesterday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that if the resolution was unanimously adopted by the new legislature, it would be a reflection of the public's willingness to join the UN, making it unnecessary for the government to hold a UN referendum.

Additional reporting by CNA