Supporters of a casino project in Penghu County yesterday protested in front of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) headquarters in Taipei after the party urged county residents to vote against the proposal in a referendum next month.
Members of an advocacy group for the “internationalization of Penghu” held a news conference in front of DPP headquarters, saying the party was trying to influence public opinion instead of respecting the decision of Penghu residents.
In a statement issued on Monday, the DPP voiced its opposition to the proposal and urged residents to reject the proposition ahead of the second Penghu casino referendum on Oct. 15.
Penghu held the first referendum on casinos in September 2009, with 56.44 percent of ballots cast against the proposition and 43.56 percent in support.
The group’s director, Chen Meng (陳猛), said the DPP’s statement went back on President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) promise to respect the referendum and residents’ decision.
Following Tsai’s visit to Penghu last year when she was running for president, then-DPP News and Information Department director Alex Huang (黃重諺) said Tsai respected the county government’s authority to hold a referendum and residents’ decision should the referendum be held.
“The DPP should not try to override public opinion, but instead remain neutral and respect residents’ decision,” Chen said.
Tourism in the county is severely limited in winter due to the east-west monsoon, which impedes sustainable development for Penghu, Chen said.
“It is not casinos that we want, but major international investment, similar to entertainment facilities in Singapore, which can take local development to another level,” he said.
The DPP should not forget that its support came from its attentiveness to public opinion, and it should not fail Penghu residents, who long for development, he said.
DPP spokesman Wang Min-sheng (王閔生) reaffirmed the party’s stance, saying the DPP’s perspective remains unchanged since former party chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) was in office.
“The DPP encourages Penghu residents to vote ‘No’ to the casino proposal. A casino is not the only means to develop tourism in the county,” Wang said.
“That the party opposes the proposal is not in conflict with its respect of the referendum’s result, whatever that might be,” Wang said, adding that the party’s stance on the issue has been consistent.
The Alliance Against the Legalization of Gambling and Penghu Anti-Casino Alliance issued a joint statement expressing approval for the DPP’s statement.
Alliance Against the Legalization of Gambling executive director Ho Tsung-hsun (何宗勳) said the DPP’s opposition to the casino proposal could help build a healthy environment for children.
Ho also called on Penghu County Commissioner Chen Kuang-fu (陳光復), a DPP member, to gain a better understanding of public sentiment and to side with opponents to the plan, as Chen on Monday said he must remain neutral, despite his party’s stance.
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