By a vote of 60-45, the Legislature today voted to forward the nuclear plant referendum proposal directly to a second reading. If the proposal passes the second and third readings, a national referendum will be held to decide whether construction of the Longmen (Fourth) Nuclear Power Plant should be halted.
Executive Yuan Spokesperson Cheng Li-wun stated that the Executive Yuan fully respected today's decision by the Legislature, and that Premier Jiang Yi-huah had called Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng to express his gratitude. The premier said holding a referendum on such a major public policy issue represents a deepening of the democratic process, wherein all citizens can participate and express their views, and ultimately come to a decision together.
Like citizens, the government is very concerned about the plant's construction quality and operational safety, and will in no way compromise its position of "no nuclear power without safety," said Cheng. As long as the Longmen plant undergoes stringent safety inspections, the Executive Yuan is ready to put halting of the plant's construction up to a referendum, she said. In the meantime, the government will make relevant information accessible to the public so that citizens can make informed decisions.
Cheng noted that a related local referendum was also submitted on April 15 by the New Taipei City government to the Executive Yuan for approval. The proposal, initiated by former Vice President Lu Hsiu-lien, asks city residents the question, "Do you agree that fuel rods should be installed in the reactors at Taiwan Power Company's Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City?" Cheng said the proposal has been forwarded to the Executive Yuan's Referendum Review Commission for evaluation.
Although this proposal has been recognized by city's referendum review commission as a matter for local referendum, Article 2, Paragraph 3 of the Referendum Act stipulates that local referendums should apply only to issues under local jurisdiction, Cheng said. Since the matter of fuel rod installation involves a state-run enterprise and affects national energy supplies, energy policies, industrial development and ecological environment, it will have direct bearing on Taiwan's overall economy and people's lifestyle choices. Hence, there is doubt as to whether the matter is subject to local referendum. To be certain, this proposal has also been forwarded to the Executive Yuan's Referendum Review Commission, in accordance with Article 38 of the Referendum Act.