2014-05-01

DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang: Construction on the 4th nuclear power plant cannot continue


April 30 - DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang today expressed his great relief at the news that former DPP chair Lin Yi-hsiung had ended his hunger strike against the construction of the 4th Nuclear Power Plant.  Speaking after a meeting of the DPP Central Standing Committee, Su said: “A man of Lin age’s age going on a hunger strike for his ideals is deserving of the utmost respect.  He has already sacrificed too much for Taiwan,” adding that he hoped Lin would take care of his health.

Regarding the April 28th announcement by Premier Jiang Yi-huah that reactor No. 1 in the 4th Nuclear Power Plant would be sealed up following safety inspections and construction on reactor No. 2 completely halted, Chair Su emphasized that in spite of lingering ambiguity surrounding the government’s plans for the plant due to the Premier’s equivocal language during the press conference, the indisputable reality is that the construction cannot proceed.  Countless people have fought long and hard over the course of many years to terminate the 4th nuclear power plant, Chair Su pointed out, and now, the unmistakable public consensus in opposition to the plant that coalesced around Lin Yi-hsiung’s hunger strike has finally made it impossible to continue with the plant’s construction.

Furthermore, given the import of this major policy decision, the DPP believes that Premier Jiang has a responsibility to provide a report to and respond to questioning from the Legislative Yuan, and should submit to oversight by the branch of government that most directly represents the public will.   The DPP caucus will exercise strict scrutiny in the legislature going forward to prevent any further appropriations from being allocated to the 4th nuclear plant, as well as seek amendment of the referendum law to lower the voting threshold and return the right of referendum to the people.

As some friends are determined to continue the anti-nuclear fight in the streets, Chair Su reminded the administration that protests are the symptoms of an unresponsive government.  This is why he had urged President Ma not to ignore the public will, for doing so would only bring the country toward greater turmoil.  At the same time, Chair Su asked friends in the streets to remember that former chair Lin has been firmly and fully committed to non-violent protest throughout his life, and would not wish to see any accidents or conflicts erupting out of the demonstrations.  Su said: “We must ensure that the methods do not overshadow the goals of the protest and lead to a loss of focus on the substantive demands.”


Share/Bookmark