The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday convened to discuss referendums to counter Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) proposals, KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) said yesterday.
The DPP has proposed four referendums aimed at the opposition party, a challenge the KMT would not shy from, Fu said.
The KMT referendums would focus heavily on the welfare of Taiwanese, he said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Some local media reported that a participant at the caucus meeting said they had discussed proposing a referendum against the abolition of the death penalty to counter recall campaigns against KMT legislators.
That person also said the party hoped the recall vote could be on the same day as voting on referendums, expected to be held on Aug. 23.
Asked if the party would propose a referendum to keep the death penalty, Fu said the caucus had not yet arrived at a consensus, adding that it must complete all procedures before May 23, leaving little time to prepare additional proposals on capital punishment.
Under amendments to the Referendum Act (公民投票法), referendums are held every two years on the fourth Saturday of August.
Referendum proposals need 1,995 signatures to pass the initial threshold and 290,000 signatures to be sustained, the KMT said.
If a proposal does not meet referendum requirements, the party is considering proposing it at the Legislative Yuan, it said.
Under Article 15 of the Referendum Act, if the legislature deems it necessary to hold a referendum, it can — after the main text and the statement of reasons for the referendum are adopted in a plenary session — forward the proposal to the Central Election Commission for implementation within 10 days.
Separately, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said during a meeting of the KMT’s Central Standing Committee that he would shoulder all responsibility for the controversy generated by the party’s recall proposals and asked supporters to stop blaming volunteers.
Thirty-two recall proposals against KMT members had passed signature thresholds, while all recall proposals against DPP members have failed to pass and require supplementary signatures.
The party is in close contact with legislators on the issue of recalls and understands the importance of effectively mobilizing supporters.
The KMT recognizes that some parts of its recall campaign were not perfect, Chu said, adding that he is responsible as party chairman.
Additional reporting by CNA
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
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
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
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
RSS