National Civil Servant Association president Harry Lee (李來希) yesterday promised to throw his weight behind a move to recall New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) by people opposed to same-sex marriage, even as the latter expressed reservations about pursuing a closer alliance.
Lee urged people opposed to pension reform to participate in a recall rally this morning outside New Taipei City’s Sijhih Railway Station.
“NPP lawmakers only have empty ideas without real societal experience, advocating avant-garde and reckless legislation because they do not have a clear sense of the situation,” Lee said, citing as an example Huang’s support for same-sex marriage and an NPP-sponsored pension reform amendment allowing divorced spouses to claim a share of pension benefits.
“This would create payment difficulties, by leading to lawsuits after people retire. Because responsible agencies will not be able to determine the right proportion, they are likely to freeze contested payments, putting pressure on pensioners to let spouses take what they want,” he said.
The NPP’s version of pension reform legislation was more stringent than the version that was passed by the legislature, which exempts only near-minimum-wage pension payments from cuts.
Lee said he hoped to incorporate the Greater Taipei Stability Power Alliance campaigning for Huang’s recall in a plan to set up a political party for pensioners.
Leaders of the alliance are closely affiliated with the Faith and Hope League party, which unsuccessfully campaigned for legislative seats in last year’s election on a platform of opposing same-sex marriage.
Opponents of same-sex marriage have been seen on stage at rallies against pension reform, and pension reform opponents have also been observed participating in protests against same-sex marriage.
Both opposition movements share a relatively older and conservative support base, and feel sidelined by the media and government decisionmakers, who they often accuse of collusion to undermine the legitimacy of their voices and concerns.
“Because we do not want to be identified with any political color, we have not invited any political figures to take the stage, and we have politely declined Lee’s offer to attend to show his support,” Greater Taipei Stability Power Alliance chairman Sun Chi-cheng (孫繼正) said, while adding that there might be room for cooperation in mobilizing voters if a formal recall vote is called.
“Now that there is no longer any point for pension reform opponents to protest against the government, Huang is the only immediate pressure point for venting their anger, and we look favorably on that, just as we do for actions by any political party — but we will not allow them to take the stage and lead,” he said.
The petitioners claim to have already exceeded the petition signature threshold for calling such a vote and plan to submit the petitions to the Central Election Commission on Aug. 21.
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
NAMING SPAT: The foreign ministry called on Denmark to propose an acceptable solution to the erroneous nationality used for Taiwanese on residence permits Taiwan has revoked some privileges for Danish diplomatic staff over a Danish permit that lists “Taiwan” as “China,” Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of European Affairs, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Reporters asked Huang whether the Danish government had responded to the ministry’s request that it correct the nationality on Danish residence permits of Taiwanese, which has been listed as “China” since 2024. Taiwan’s representative office in Denmark continues to communicate with the Danish government, and the ministry has revoked some privileges previously granted to Danish representatives in Taiwan and would continue to review
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
RSS