The attitudes of pan-green and pan-blue supporters toward the economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) the government wants to sign with China and renegotiation of a agreement with the US on US beef imports were likely to be as polarized as their political beliefs, a poll expert said yesterday.
Tsai Chia-hung (蔡佳泓), an associate research fellow at National Chengchi University’s Election Study Center, said his study showed that pan-blue supporters were likely to support an ECFA and oppose holding new rounds of negotiations on the relaxation of restrictions on US beef and beef products. Their position on the two issues, however, would not be as firm as their pan-green counterparts, Tsai said.
Pan-green supporters, on the other hand, were likely to harbor opposition to signing an ECFA and support a referendum on whether to hold renegotiations on US beef, he said.
The Consumers’ Foundation is in the second phase of a signature drive after the Cabinet’s Referendum Review Committee approved their petition to mount a referendum on whether to hold renegotiation on US beef.
REFERENDUM
As for a referendum on an ECFA, the Taiwan Solidarity Union is in the process of gathering signatures to make a case to the committee after it rejected a similar proposal initiated by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) earlier this year.
Tsai said party support was imperative to the success of a referendum proposal.
The referendum on renegotiations on US beef stood a good chance of taking place because it was a health issue that received the backing of many pan-blue supporters, he said.
Tsai made the remarks while speaking at a seminar in Taipei yesterday. The one day event, entitled Democratic Reforms in Taiwan, was organized by Taiwan Thinktank. Since the Referendum Law (公民投票法) was enacted in 2003, Taiwan has held three national referendums on six different issues and one regional referendum in the outlying islands of Penghu.
ELECTIONS
Former deputy Presidential Office secretary-general Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said a referendum had a better chance of success when it was held in tandem with elections, adding that the backing of political parties was important.
Ho Tsung-hsun (何宗勳), chief executive of Citizens Congress Watch, expressed regret over political intervention in referendums, saying it set off partisan warfare between the DPP and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
One way to make the referendum on US beef renegotiations successful, he said, was to be creative in selling the issue and to canvass support in the same way as promoting a candidate for an election.
Wang Szu-wei (王思為), a professor at Nanhua University’s department of non-profit organization management, said while Taiwan is a democracy and is supposed to be governed by the rule of law, the KMT government followed “the rule off law” — implying it usually flouts the law.
Taking the example of Taipei City Government’s outstanding health care premiums, Wang said it was unbelievable to see Department of Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) back President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on the issue even though the Supreme Administration Court ruled against the city in a final verdict.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
RSS