The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) today plans to submit to the Central Election Commission (CEC) signatures it has collected backing its petitions to hold referendums on imported pork containing racotpamine residue and when referendums should take place, the party said yesterday.
The KMT last year proposed a public referendum, spearheaded by KMT Legislator Lin Wei-chou (林為洲), that would ask voters if they agree that the government should completely ban imports of meat, offal and related products from pigs fed with ractopamine.
It followed the Democratic Progressive Party’s announcement in August last year that it would ease restrictions on the importation of US pork containing traces of the animal feed additive and beef from cattle aged 30 months or older from Jan. 1.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The other proposed question, initiated by KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), would ask voters if they agree that referendums should be held on the same day as nationwide elections if an election is scheduled to take place within six months of a proposal to hold a referendum being approved.
The Referendum Act (公民投票法) stipulates that referendums from this year are to be held once every two years on the fourth Saturday of August.
The two petitions have each garnered more than 700,000 signatures, Chiang announced in Taipei at an event organized by the KMT Women’s Department to mark International Women’s Day.
“I believe one thing all women are actually very concerned about is food safety,” he said.
The KMT would help to ensure food safety, he said, before leading a group of KMT members in reading a pledge to “support Taiwanese pork, Taiwanese cabbage [and] Taiwanese pineapples.”
Domestic pineapples since Monday last week have been subject to a Chinese import ban.
In the face of successive issues related to domestic food safety and agricultural products, the government has been “unable to propose solutions that reassure [Taiwanese] and farmers,” the KMT said in a statement.
The KMT would “pursue the realization of the public expectation of a toxin-free home,” it said, adding that the next step in its referendum campaign would be to call on voters to cast their ballots on Aug. 28 — the next possible date for a referendum to be held.
“It will be the last mile to protecting food safety in Taiwan,” the party said.
Chiang and Lin would take the signatures from the KMT’s headquarters in Taipei and deliver them to the commission’s offices by car this morning, the KMT said.
If the proposed questions are put to voters, at least one-quarter of eligible voters must vote in favor of the proposals, with the number of “yes” votes exceeding the number of “no” votes, for them to pass.
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