Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of arbitrarily revising the regulations governing the election and recall of farmers’ association officials and allowing candidates to see a list of association members who are eligible to vote in association elections ahead of nationwide farmers’ associations elections next month.
KMT legislators Chang Li-shan (張麗善), Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) and Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) held a news conference saying that the government had the Council of Agriculture change the Regulations Governing Farmers’ Associations’ Election and Recall (農會選舉罷免辦法) for its own benefit ahead of the elections for agricultural task force team chiefs, deputy chiefs and members’ representatives.
Chang said DPP lawmakers brought up the issue during a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee in November last year, proposing to provide a list of voting association members to the candidates.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
“The Ministry of Justice advised de-identifying the voters’ information, but added that the move would nullify the purpose of providing the list,” Chang said. “The committee, with the DPP’s majority, deferred the decision to revise the regulations to the Council of Agriculture.”
The council on Friday last week announced the period of comment for revisions, Lin said.
“The period was seven days, which is extremely short considering that the maximum time allowed is three months,” Chang said.
Huang said that ever since the DPP came to power, it has been trying to seize the farmers’ association system, adding that the revisions are aimed at helping pro-DPP candidates solicit votes by whatever means, including bribery.
KMT lawmakers also warned the DPP against violating the Personal Information Protection Act (個人資料保護法).
Chang said that “960,000 farmers’ personal information is at stake.”
“The regulations are not being revised without legitimate reason, such as letting the candidates know who their electors are so that they can compete on an equal footing,” Lin said, adding that the downsides are “nevertheless significant, such as bribery and intimidation.”
DPP Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) said that candidates have the right to know who their voters are to canvass them accordingly.
“The information is protected from people outside the associations and the candidates are not allowed to disclose the information,” he said, adding that civic association elections should not be conducted in a “black box” manner or involve unfair competition, “which only the KMT would engage in under the pretext of protecting personal information.”
Additional reporting by CNA
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS