Recall drives have begun nationwide amid political turmoil in the legislature, with activists setting their sights on 35 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and four Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers.
Civil groups on Thursday said they were confident in their efforts to recall KMT legislators, after business tycoon Robert Tsao (曹興誠) set up a nationwide network the day before to gather volunteers and provide material aid.
The United Microelectronics Corp founder, together with civil society groups, on Wednesday launched the Safeguard Taiwan, Anti-Communist Volunteers League.
Photo: Huang Hsu-lei, Taipei Times
The Taiwan Statebuilding Party also held a news conference in Taipei on Thursday to announce its own recall movement against KMT legislators.
There are efforts to recall KMT legislators in 35 constituencies across Taiwan, including five in Taipei, six in New Taipei City, six in Taoyuan and six in Taichung.
Grassroots groups have also initiated drives targeting notable KMT members seen as spearheading political turmoil in the legislature, including KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) of Hualien, Legislator Chen Yu-jen (陳玉珍) of Kinmen and Legislator Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) of Nantou, said a spokeswoman for the recall movement in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋), who goes by the name Mollie (茉莉).
Meanwhile, members of the KMT’s youth wing said they would fight back by organizing drives against four DPP legislators: Caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) from Taipei, and legislators Huang Jie (黃捷) and Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) from Kaohsiung.
Huang and Wu Pei-yi are the first two openly LGBTQ+ members of Taiwan’s legislature.
Tsao, addressing the volunteer league launch event on Wednesday, said the KMT and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) were stoking political turmoil and “dismantling our democracy” by slashing large portions of the national budget.
“Deliberate actions by the KMT and TPP to sabotage government operations and undermine the stability of Taiwanese society have led to much public anger and anxiety, and people cannot take it anymore,” he said.
“We are now witnessing political turmoil in the Legislative Yuan, which Beijing is watching with glee,” Tsao added.
He called for wide public support in gathering signatures, the first step to recalling an elected official under the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法).
According to the act, a petition must collect signatures from no less than 1 percent of the total number of voters in the electoral district where the official was elected to initiate a recall.
At Thursday’s event, Taiwan Statebuilding Party Chairman Wang Hsing-huan (王興煥) criticized opposition parties for slashing the budget, while urging support for the recall drives.
“If the KMT and TPP want people to kneel and beg them for mercy, then all us citizens shall stand up to regain our pride and dignity,” he said.
“Citizens and civil groups must forge strong networks to fight together to achieve the aim of kicking out these pro-China enemy forces out of Taiwan’s legislature,” he added.
Opposition lawmakers on Dec. 20 last year passed amendments to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act requiring petition signatories to submit a copy of their ID and stipulating up to five years in prison or a fine of NT$1 million (US$30,598) for using another’s identity.
At present, campaigners only have to present the ID numbers and registered addresses of signatories.
Although it passed the third reading last month, the legislature only yesterday sent the bill to the president.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) after an extraordinary meeting to consider the bill said the Cabinet had decided to send it back to the legislature for a revote, pending approval from the president.
He also expressed dismay at the legislature sending the proposal at 4:47pm the day before the Lunar New Year holiday begins, calling it “naked political calculation.”
Under the Additional Articles of the Constitution, the Cabinet has 10 days after receipt of a bill to return it for reconsideration. Once it is returned, the Legislative Yuan has 15 days to hold a revote.
If the legislature is in recess, it must reconvene within seven days and reach a resolution within 15 days after the session begins.
Additional reporting by Liu Wan-lin
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
‘LIKE-MINDED PARTNER’: Tako van Popta said it would be inappropriate to delay signing the deal with Taiwan because of China, adding he would promote the issue Canadian senators have stressed Taiwan’s importance for international trade and expressed enthusiasm for ensuring the Taiwan-Canada trade cooperation framework agreement is implemented this year. Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) in an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) said he was increasingly uneasy about Ottawa’s delays in signing the agreement, especially as Ottawa has warmed toward Beijing. There are “no negotiations left. Not only [is it] initialed, we have three versions of the text ready: English, French and Mandarin,” Tseng said. “That tells you how close we are to the final signature.” Tseng said that he hoped Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
Taiwan is awaiting official notification from the US regarding the status of the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) after the US Supreme Court ruled US President Donald Trump's global tariffs unconstitutional. Speaking to reporters before a legislative hearing today, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said that Taiwan's negotiation team remains focused on ensuring that the bilateral trade deal remains intact despite the legal challenge to Trump's tariff policy. "The US has pledged to notify its trade partners once the subsequent administrative and legal processes are finalized, and that certainly includes Taiwan," Cho said when asked about opposition parties’ doubts that the ART was
RSS