The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) will collaborate with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in any bid to recall Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) said yesterday.
“The TSU is ready to launch the first phase of a recall plan for KMT lawmakers who have ignored the voice of the people and only follow Ma’s instructions,” Huang told a press conference, adding that his party’s eventual goal is to recall Ma.
Following DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang’s (蘇貞昌) announcement of a plan to recall lawmakers and Ma, Huang said he wanted to meet Su to try to form an alliance.
Photo: Tseng Wei-chen, Taipei Times
“These lawmakers only care about protecting Ma and the KMT government and forget what being a lawmaker is all about. They are ‘blocks’ on the road that need to be removed before we can recall the president,” Huang said.
Huang said he would meet representatives of various civic groups to exchange views on which KMT lawmakers should be recalled.
The TSU has collected more than 220,000 signatures in a bid to recall Ma, but recalling KMT lawmakers is a prerequisite because the president’s removal must be proposed by at least a quarter of the legislature and agreed to by at least two-thirds of members before passing a national referendum, Huang said.
The TSU launched its recall bid because voters can legally exercise their right to recall legislators beginning on Feb. 1 — after the lawmakers have completed one year of their terms, Huang said.
KMT lawmakers who went against mainstream opinion on the US beef import controversy, proposals related to the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), and protests against media monopolization would be on the TSU’s “recommendation list” for recalls, he said.
The DPP has not decided which KMT lawmakers it would attempt to recall, but would be pleased to collaborate with the TSU on the initiative, DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said.
DPP Secretary-General Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀) is scheduled to brief the party’s Central Standing Committee on Wednesday about the recall, Lin said, adding that a “recall list” is unlikely to be submitted before the Lunar New Year.
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
A firefighter yesterday died after falling into New Taipei City's Xindian River when a rescue dinghy capsized during a search mission for a man who was later found dead. The New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report at 4:12pm that a 50-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), had fallen into the river. A 32-year-old firefighter, surnamed Wu (吳), was among the rescuers deployed to look for Chen, the fire department said, adding that he and five other rescue personnel were in the dinghy when it capsized. Wu had no vital signs after being pulled from the water to the
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such
RSS