The Central Election Commission’s decision on Tuesday to approve three national referendum proposals against same-sex marriage came under fire yesterday from social activists and members of the public.
The commission said that two referendum proposals from Alliance for the Happiness of the Next Generation Alliance president Tseng Hsien-ying (曾獻瑩) and one from its convener, Yu Hsin-yi (游信義), were drafted in accordance with the law.
One of Tseng’s proposals asks people whether they think same-sex marriage is a right that should be granted by means other than amending the Civil Code — which governs marriage — while the other asks whether education about homosexuality at elementary and high schools mandated by the Gender Equity Education Act (性別平等教育法) should be abolished.
Photo: CNA
Yu asked people whether they support keeping the definition of marriage in the Civil Code as a union between a man and a woman.
“The Central Election Commission has made its darkest decision yet,” author Chen Fang-ming (陳芳明) said on Facebook.
“Having a public referendum on human rights is an insult to Taiwan’s democratic society, undercuts the Taiwanese values that we have long been so proud of and it is a slap in the face to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who has publicly said: ‘My name is Tsai Ing-wen and I support marriage equality,’” he said.
Exiled Chinese democracy activist Wang Dan (王丹) also panned the commission’s decision on Facebook, saying: “It showed they [commission officials] are utterly ignorant of the Constitution’s protection of human rights.”
“Marriage is a constitutionally guaranteed fundamental right, like the freedom of speech; such rights are not determined by public referendums, but by the supreme court,” he said. “China is regressing to the Cultural Revolution. Taiwan should not follow that bad example in trying to reverse civilization.”
On Tuesday evening, Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR), a group that supports same-sex marriage, staged a demonstration outside the commission building.
Veteran gay rights advocate Chi Chia-wei (祁家威) — who filed the case that led to Constitutional Interpretation No. 748 in May last year, which ruled in favor of same-sex marriage as constitutional right — participated in the protest.
The commission’s ruling is unconstitutional, TAPCPR said, adding that its attorneys are considering suing the commission at an administrative court.
“Initially, Yu’s proposal to limit the definition of marriage and Tseng’s proposal to avoid protecting same-sex couples’ rights via the Civil Code raised concerns that they contradict Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748,” the commission said in a statement yesterday.
The constitutional interpretation states: “The freedom of marriage for two persons of the same sex shall be protected by the freedom of marriage under Article 22 of the Constitution.”
The commission also passed a referendum proposal suggested by former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) about legally penalizing top officials who pressure the judiciary.
His proposed referendum would ask whether presidents, lawmakers, Control Yuan members or other high-ranking officials who directly or indirectly pressure, lobby or improperly influence members of the judiciary to obtain a favorable court ruling for themselves or others should face legal penalties.
The four proposals need to obtain 280,000 signatures each to pass the reconfirmation stage of the referendum process, after which a referedum can be held.
UNDETERRED: The US chip designer’s plan showed that Taiwan remains attractive for investment by global companies despite cross-strait tensions, Wang Mei-hua said US graphics chip designer Nvidia Corp is planning to relocate its Hong Kong-based logistics center to Taiwan, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said on Wednesday. The government had been in discussions with Nvidia regarding tax incentives to facilitate the move since last year, Wang said in an interview with the Central News Agency, adding that the two sides had reached a consensus. Wang did not provide details about the timetable for the move or the planned tax arrangements for Nvidia. The relocation would boost the local economy, as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is a major supplier of graphics processing
Kaohsiung police last week busted a money laundering operation suspected of seeking to interfere in tomorrow’s local elections. The operation was allegedly headed by a man surnamed Lee (李), who had received NT$9.5 billion (US$306.18 million) from China over the past six months, Kaohsiung police said yesterday, adding that Lee’s ring is suspected to be part of a larger Chinese effort to interfere in the elections and support pro-China candidates. Officers arrested Lee, 35, and his girlfriend, searched his mansion, and seized the money he had allegedly received from China and three luxury vehicles, police said. The operation was disguised as an online
‘NEWEST’: The company’s Arizona plant is to produce 5-nanometer chips in the initial stage and would later manufacture 3-nanometer chips, Morris Chang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) yesterday confirmed that the company plans to produce its most advanced 3-nanometer chips in the US as part of the company’s phase 2 plan at its plant in Phoenix, Arizona. The 91-year-old entrepreneur, who has been appointed as Taiwan’s envoy to APEC six times, yesterday morning held a news conference at the Presidential Office Building to discuss his delegation’s accomplishments at this year’s APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in Bangkok, which ended on Saturday. He was asked whether TSMC has plans to build advanced chips in the US. “TSMC’s plant in Arizona is
SURRENDER PLEDGE: Prosecutors said Hsiang Te-en was not charged with treason or contravening the National Security Act, because evidence had been removed The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday charged army Colonel Hsiang Te-en (向德恩) with corruption, accusing him of pledging allegiance to China and receiving payment from Chinese operatives to work as a spy. Prosecutors asked a court to sentence Hsiang to 12 years in prison. Hsiang is head of the Kaohsiung-based Army Infantry Training Command’s Operations Research and Development Division. He allegedly signed a “pledge of surrender” and promised to “serve, as best he may, in his office for the benefits of the motherland in the event of war across the [Taiwan] Strait,” the office said. Hsiang could not be charged with contraventions of
RSS