As expected, the legislature has done the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) bidding and “corrected” the Referendum Act (公民投票法) so that it cannot be used to create a “Taiwanese” constitution, change the nation’s name or decide the nation’s future.
Complete, open and unlimited referendum rights are a fundamental component of a free society. Without comprehensive referendum rights, Taiwanese are not true masters, nor are they truly free: They are simply slaves of the DPP — and of external forces.
The result of the amendment to the Referendum Act tells us that every single one of the DPP legislators shares the guilt for depriving Taiwanese of comprehensive referendum rights and the right to become free. The DPP has become a political and economic comprador that stands between external forces and Taiwanese.
If the Referendum Act really is a procedural act, as the DPP has said, then it should not contain any exclusion clauses.
Supporting a comprehensive, open and unrestricted Referendum Act means supporting Taiwanese democracy, freedom and human rights.
It is not the same as supporting a referendum on Taiwanese independence, nor does it mean supporting Taiwanese independence — it simply means supporting the fundamental right of Taiwanese to choose.
If the DPP fears that Taiwanese would write their own constitution, there is ample opportunity for the party to oppose their pursuit of independence and autonomy.
Consider the creation of a Taiwanese constitution as an example. Every stage of the process — from the initialization, proposal, signature drive, acceptance and debate to a vote on a constitutional referendum — offers the DPP an opportunity to oppose the measure. There is no need to remove the public’s right to choose by amending the act.
Crippling the right of Taiwanese to choose in this way is even worse than opposing the creation of a new constitution or the right of Taiwanese to self-determination.
The “correction” to the Referendum Act shows that the DPP has closed the door on peaceful and non-violent self-determination within the framework of the established system.
From now on, the DPP will have to shoulder all responsibility for any violence or social unrest that results from Taiwanese pursuing a new constitution and a new national name.
The process that led to the “correction” to the act shows that every DPP legislator either silently accepts or loudly agrees to follow every order issued by the party’s leader, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
This makes one wonder whether the DPP is still a democratic party or if it has become just another party that will deceive and engage in “democratic” centralism to serve its agenda.
The “correction” to the act shows that there are no longer any factions within the DPP that are working toward democracy, freedom, self-determination or, of course, independence. The only factions left in the DPP are those that do what they are told and those that want to further their own interests.
I have supported the democracy movement, through the tangwai (黨外, outside the party) movement and then the DPP for the past 40 years, but today I must finally accept that the DPP is possessed by an evil demon.
It is no longer the DPP that I once knew.
Until an exorcist ousts this evil demon from the party, I can only say: “Bye bye, DPP.”
Lin Kien-tsu is a member of the Taiwan Association of University Professors.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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