Eleven civic groups spearheading campaigns to recall 11 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators in the Greater Taipei area yesterday gathered in front of the Central Election Commission (CEC) office to announce the start of the second-phase of their signature drive today.
“None of the civic groups work for the DPP [Democratic Progressive Party], nor are we auxiliary groups of the DPP. We are all upright and dignified citizens, and are the masters of this nation, who are standing up to protect our rights,” said former tech tycoon Robert Tsao (曹興誠), who is heading the recall drive against Taipei KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯).
“Just the same, we wish to see KMT members face the recall campaigns with dignity. They should not try to hide or use all sorts of tricks to shift focus and evade the real issues. We also ask Hsu to engage in a public debate with us,” Tsao said.
Photo courtesy of the campaign to recall Liao Wei-hsiang
Mobilizing at local levels, civic campaigners have reached the signature threshold for first-stage recalls in electoral districts that many had considered highly difficult to penetrate.
“The success so far comes from the public will and collective strength of our citizens,” said a spokeswoman for a group aiming to oust Taipei KMT Legislator Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇).
“We are not just working to oust one individual. Our success so far is warning to all legislators that if you act against the public will, then the price is for the public to recall and remove you from office,” said the spokeswoman, who only gave her name as Amei (阿美).
The other civic groups aim to recall Taipei and New Taipei City KMT legislators Li Chih-chiang (羅智強), Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀), Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆), Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷), Yeh Yuan-chih (葉元之), Lo Ming-tsai (羅明才), Liao Hsien-hsiang (廖先翔), Chang Chih-lun (張智倫) and Lin Te-fu (林德福).
The campaigners were at the CEC office to pick up forms for the second phase of the recall petition, in which they have to meet at least 10 percent of the signature threshold within two months.
Meanwhile, attorney and Taiwan Forever Society director Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) accused Wang and Hsu of “vote-buying” by holding events for their constituencies, which include prize lottery draws.
An event held by Wang last weekend contravened provisions of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) on bribery or giving undue benefits in return for votes, Huang said, adding that offenders may be sentenced to between three and 10 years in prison.
An essay competition jointly organized by a local writing society and a publisher affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) might have contravened the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. “In this case, the partner organization is clearly an agency under the CCP’s Fujian Provincial Committee,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said at a news briefing in Taipei. “It also involves bringing Taiwanese students to China with all-expenses-paid arrangements to attend award ceremonies and camps,” Liang said. Those two “characteristics” are typically sufficient
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