The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will begin a series of rallies in Kaohsiung on Saturday to promote a national referendum on a proposed trade pact with China, DPP Spokesman Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said yesterday.
A “made in Taiwan” market fair featuring locally made products and craftwork will be held at Glory Pier in the afternoon before the rally, Tsai said.
DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), elected DPP officials, academics and experts are to review the current administration’s performance, as well as address the proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) in the evening, Tsai Chi-chang said.
The events are expected to attract 10,000 participants, the spokesman said.
The Executive Yuan’s Referendum Review Committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday to decide whether a referendum proposal initiated by the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) meets legal requirements.
Tsai Chi-chang said the party hopes that members of the committee would ensure the public’s rights to express their will through a referendum and not to use political maneuvering or bureaucracy to block it.
He said because an ECFA is crucial and would lead to a large redistribution of wealth in Taiwan, the government should allow the public to participate in discussions on the pact and the decision-making process.
In protest against the government’s plan to complete the signing of the proposed ECFA with China this month, the TSU, pro-independence groups and former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) held anti-ECFA sit-ins and made speeches around the country last month.
The government says the proposed ECFA would boost economic growth and prevent the nation from being marginalized, but critics have said it would lead to job losses and could make the nation too economically dependent on and politically vulnerable to China.
Meanwhile, Tsai Ing-wen will hold her first campaign rally next to a statue of George Mackay today, a week after the opposition party confirmed her bid to run in the Sinbei City election.
The 53-year-old party head is expected to appear along with a number of DPP county councilors and party officials at the statue in Danshui Township, Taipei County, at 4pm, where she will make a speech detailing her election bid.
She is also expected to mark the 109th anniversary of George Mackay’s death, which falls tomorrow, and then make her way to the busy Danshui boardwalk.
The Canadian missionary, who lived from 1844 to 1901, was among the first Presbyterian missionaries to arrive in Taiwan and is widely recognized for his role in building churches, schools and hospitals around the country.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY VINCENT Y. CHAO
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