Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) yesterday accused Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers of using “the tyranny of the majority” to “crush public opinion,” after the DPP legislative caucus on Monday said it would vote unanimously in favor of directives regarding the government’s policy on US pork and beef imports.
Cross-party negotiations on Friday last week reached a consensus that lawmakers would tomorrow review nine administrative directives, as well as proposed legal amendments, related to the government’s decision to ease restrictions from Friday next week on imports of US pork containing traces of the feed additive ractopamine and beef from cattle aged 30 months or older.
Lawmakers are also expected to vote on the directives.
Photo: CNA
Following a meeting on Monday between the Executive Yuan and the DPP legislative caucus, DPP Legislator Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬), a caucus official, told reporters that a decision was made at the meeting for DPP lawmakers to vote unanimously in favor of the directives.
Chiang yesterday said at an event in Taipei he regretted that the DPP legislative caucus “still cannot see public opinion or hear the voice of the people.”
The DPP is still going to use the “tyranny of the majority ... to crush public opinion,” he said, adding that what the DPP would be “crushing” is the health of the public, as well as that of future generations.
With the vote, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and DPP lawmakers would be responsible not just to the public, but also to history, he said, adding that the DPP’s wishes should not prevail over public opinion.
On Monday, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) in a statement on Facebook said that all US food exports are safe.
“Unfortunately, US pork has been needlessly politicized,” the AIT wrote.
“We respect the AIT’s statement, but we also hope that the US can understand and respect the position of Taiwanese and [their] attitude of defending health,” Chiang said when asked for comment.
Pork containing ractopamine residue is not a political issue, but a health issue and a public issue, he said.
People’s interest in their own health is not something that party politics can manipulate, he added.
Ahead of the vote, the KMT called on its supporters to gather in front of the Legislative Yuan’s Chun-hsien Building (群賢樓) in Taipei at 5:30pm today.
The KMT and its supporters plan to parade around the Legislative Yuan complex every hour from 9am tomorrow to protest the government’s decision to allow imports of US pork containing traces of ractopamine.
The KMT in a statement yesterday urged people to telephone the offices of DPP lawmakers to express their opposition to the policy.
Additional reporting by CNA
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