【Epoch Times, July 3, 2024】Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan Internal Affairs Committee will review the amendment to the Recall and Election Law on the 4th. Taiwanese civic groups have called on the public to once again gather outside the Legislative Yuan on the evening of the 3rd to protest against “raising the recall threshold” and warned legislators not to confiscate the people’s right to recall, rejecting any regression of democracy.
The Legislative Yuan’s Internal Affairs Committee held a public hearing today on “Improving the Practical Status of the Recall Law for Public Officials,” inviting Deputy Minister of the Interior Ministry Wu Tang-an and others to attend and report. Wu Tang-an stated that recall is a right granted to the people by the Constitution. The current law on the election and recall of public officials sets various thresholds for recall to avoid limiting the people’s exercise of the recall right. The current recall threshold states that “the valid affirmative votes must exceed the negative votes, and the affirmative votes must reach over one-fourth of the total number of eligible voters in the original electoral district.”
Wu Tang-an explained that public sentiment varies with different circumstances, and during recall voting, voters’ agreement, disagreement, or neutral stance constitute expressions of whether the recall case should pass. Regarding the provision on recall passage, whether to add the requirement that “the valid affirmative votes must exceed the votes received by the incumbent to be recalled,” to raise the threshold for passage, should depend on the level of societal consensus and be carefully considered.
The Legislative Yuan’s Internal Affairs Committee will review the draft amendments to the recall and election law related to raising the recall threshold on the 4th. The Kuomintang caucus stated today that they do not have a predetermined position and will propose improvements to the recall petition system to enhance the election and recall system.
The Kuomintang legislators’ proposal to raise the recall threshold adds to the current system that “the affirmative votes must exceed one-fourth of the total number of eligible voters in the original electoral district,” by introducing the requirement that “the valid affirmative votes must exceed the votes received by the incumbent to be recalled” to form a “double threshold” for recall, and stipulates that no recall proposal and petition can be made within one year of being elected.
Several civic groups and small parties, including Taiwan Citizen Front, held a press conference outside the Legislative Yuan, stating that the recall system is a manifestation of direct civic rights, allowing citizens to supervise and inspect the conduct, attitudes, and voting positions of public officials, ensuring that they exercise self-restraint based on the will of the people. They fulfilled the commitment made when leaving the Legislative Yuan on June 21 during the anti-parliamentary abuse action and once again called on the public to return to protest outside the Yuan. The host announced around 9 p.m. that there were over 1,500 people present.
Taiwan Citizen Front stated that they made a commitment earlier: as long as the Legislative Yuan advances any of the anti-democratic measures including confiscating the people’s right to recall, abusing the Parliament’s Special Investigation Division, democratic setbacks, extending the operation of nuclear power plants, the three laws of the East Taiwan, returning the improper assets of the Kuomintang, they will take action.
Taiwan Citizen Front Executive Committee member Lai Zhongqiang pointed out that this series of actions has two important purposes: first, to see the democratic crisis in Taiwan and the Communist Party’s proxies seeking to seize and destroy democracy in Taiwan. Second, to make Taiwan’s democracy progress and not be forever mired in this quagmire. They aim to defend democracy and the right to recall. Lai Zhongqiang warned the 8 legislators of the Internal Affairs Committee not to confiscate the people’s right to recall. Passing the proposal would be tantamount to being enemies of democracy.
Xiao Renyou, Deputy Team Leader of Taiwan Citizen Front’s New Taipei Work Team, noted that in general elections, multiple parties mobilize nationwide, resulting in higher voter turnout. However, in recall cases, only a specific location or party is mobilizing for voting, naturally leading to lower turnout, comparing the numbers based on two different voter turnout bases aims to make recall extremely difficult, confiscating the people’s right to recall.
Xiao Renyou reviewed the three cases of legislative recall in recent years, where the voter turnout during elections was above 60% or even near 80%, while the recall voter turnout was almost always below 50%. In other words, based on experience, the “votes” in elections and recalls are entirely different variables. Under this situation, amending the law to require that “the valid affirmative votes must exceed the votes received by the incumbent to be recalled” for a recall to be considered passed, clearly announces the confiscation of Taiwanese people’s right to recall.
Xiao Renyou emphasized that recall is already extremely difficult. In the nearly eighty years since the post-war period in Taiwan, the number of successful recalls of legislators and county/city chiefs can be counted on one hand. The primary function of the recall system in reality is to ensure that public officials exercise self-restraint and do not deviate too far from the will of the voters in their constituency.
Chairperson of the New Power Party, Wang Wanyu, stated that the existence of the right to recall is to safeguard public interests, uphold democratic values, and serve as an important tool for the people to supervise political figures. Therefore, the New Power Party opposes any form of “raising the recall threshold.” She urged everyone who had come to the site due to concerns about this issue that the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Affairs Committee will soon review the relevant draft on the 4th and called for joint supervision to defend the citizen’s right to recall.
Leader of the Social Democratic Party, Xu Yong, opposes raising the recall threshold, believing this action opens the door to Communist Party infiltration. From the various law enforcement conflicts since March in the Kinmen waters until now, the CCP has been undermining past enforcement tacit agreements and rules, testing Taiwan’s bottom line and vulnerabilities. Comparing the South China Sea conflicts between the CCP and the Philippines, the same could potentially happen with Taiwan’s coast guard.
Co-leader of the Taiwan Green Party, Lin Qunjing, emphasized that the core value of a democratic society lies in citizens’ participation and oversight, and the proposed amendment clearly aims to strip citizens of their ability to exercise these rights. The Green Party staunchly opposes legislators’ self-protective style of law amendment.