On the final weekend before Saturday’s referendum, heavyweights from both major parties yesterday held events to garner support for their parties’ positions on the referendum questions.
On the ballot would be questions related to banning the importation of pork containing traces of the leanness-enhancing feed additive ractopamine, relocating a natural gas terminal project to protect algal reefs off Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音), restarting construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) and holding referendums alongside elections.
Speaking at the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) event in Tainan, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who is DPP chairperson, said it was imperative that everyone support the government’s policies at a time of increasing pressure on Taiwan from China.
Photo: Tsai Wen-chu, Taipei Times
Tainan has traditionally had the highest participation rate in referendums, and she hoped residents of the southern city would vote again this year to “protect the heart of Taiwan,” she added.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) urged Taiwanese to vote “no” on all four referendum items and admonished the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for initiating the questions.
“With these four referendums, the KMT is making a mess of Taiwan while cozying up to China. They are going to devastate Taiwan,” he said.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
The event was also attended by Vice President William Lai (賴清德), who earlier yesterday appeared at DPP rallies in Miaoli County and Hsinchu City, saying that the outcome of the referendums was of great concern to Taiwan’s economic development and democracy.
The DPP yesterday posted a short video on Facebook and YouTube featuring Keelung Mayor Lin Yu-chang (林右昌), Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) and Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅), who encouraged people to vote “no” on the four items.
Separately yesterday, the KMT held a march in Taipei, calling for the public to vote “yes” on all questions.
KMT supporters and members, including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), and several city mayors and county commissioners gathered at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, chanting slogans and waving banners.
New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) and Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) were absent from the event.
In response to media queries, Chu said that both had expressed their full support for the four items.
“Whether in attendance at the event in person or online, the goal of all KMT mayors and commissioners today is to express the will of the people,” he said. “Vote ‘yes’ on all four referendums, so that Taiwan can be even more beautiful.”
After the event, the group marched toward the Presidential Office Building, where it met with participants of the Autumn Struggle, an annual protest organized by labor rights advocates.
The Autumn Struggle demonstrators laid out large banners on Ketegalan Boulevard calling for the protection of algal reefs off Taoyuan and a ban on imported pork containing traces of ractopamine.
Additional reporting by Yang Chun-hui and Tsai Chang-sheng
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