Except for one, the 10 referendums held yesterday would be little more than a NT$1.5 billion (US$48.54 million) survey, as nine would not be legally binding on the government if they passed, attorney Lu Chiou-yuan (呂秋遠) said on Friday.
“If they pass, the government would consider them. If they fail to pass, that would not mean the government would not consider them,” he posted on Facebook.
The exception is Referendum No. 16, which asks people about overturning the policy to phase out nuclear energy by 2025, because it asks whether voters agree to abrogate Article 95-1 of the Electricity Act (電業法), meaning the article would be nullified if the plebiscite is passed, he wrote.
GRAPHIC: TT
The other nine would not impose any legal liability on the government if it refused to act on the results, as that would only cost it political credibility, he wrote.
“Therefore, make your choices wisely and tell the government what you think, but do not be overly worried, all they amount to is a NT$1.5 billion survey,” he wrote.
Yet “even with their high cost, I think they are priceless,” he wrote. “At least we get to express our opinions and engage in discussions with our family, friends and even strangers before making decisions.”
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“This is the best thing anyone could ask for in the making of a sensible citizen,” he wrote.
The referendums, which he described as “a general IQ test” and survey, would also reflect people’s values and way of thinking when faced with controversial issues, Lu wrote, adding that independent thinking is the most significant aspect of a referendum.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
RSS