Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) said yesterday there was no need to hold a referendum on the death penalty given that almost 80 percent of the public supported it.
Tseng made the remarks at the legislature in response to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Kuo-liang's (謝國樑) proposal to resolve the death penalty controversy once and for all through a referendum.
Tseng said that a poll conducted by the ministry in January showed that 74 percent of the public supported the death penalty.
Various polls have also shown a support rate of 70 to 80 percent, he said.
A referendum on the issue would be better considered once public opinion is more evenly spread, Tseng added.
He said that abolishing the death penalty was the nation's long-term goal. The ministry has been promoting policies toward the abolition of capital punishment, but it has not set a timetable for its implementation.
The ministry will follow public opinion, he said.
In the meantime, the ministry would not suspend executions in accordance with the law, he said.
KMT Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) yesterday said that holding a referendum on the death penalty “unnecessary” and “a waste of resources.”
Lo said since surveys showed that a large majority was in favor of retaining capital punishment, there was no need to resolve the controversy through a plebiscite.
The issue of abolishing the death penalty came to the fore in March when then-minister of justice Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) openly stated her objections to capital punishment and said she would not approve any executions as minister.
Her statements led to public criticism, especially by victims' families and legislators and Wang later resigned.
On April 30, four death row inmates were executed, the first executions in Taiwan since December 2005.
The EU has asked Taiwan to restore a de facto moratorium on the death penalty, saying that the resumption of executions would affect Taiwan's image.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG
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