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EDITORIAL: Cherish
this anti-nuclear opportunity
Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) recently spoke on the Diaoyutais dispute
and also gave up her NT$270,000 year-end bonus in the wake of the controversy
over year-end bonuses for retired government employees. Lu’s actions won praise
for setting an example for civil-service retirees, and her assertions and
knowledge regarding the disputed islands were clear and admirable. However, it
could be her efforts on an anti-nuclear referendum in New Taipei City (新北市) that
go down in history as her most important legacy.
The New Taipei City Council’s passage of the Act Governing New Taipei
Referendums (新北市公民投票自治條例) on June 25, the first referendum law at the local
level in Taiwan, made it possible for residents to have a say on local matters
via referendums.
Lu, an advocate of a “nuclear-free homeland,” began the referendum drive in July
with the aim of holding a referendum next year on whether to stop operations at
the yet-to-be-completed Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao District (貢寮),
New Taipei City — also known as the Longmen Nuclear Power Plant.
Lu is now ready to submit a referendum proposal after collecting more than
16,000 signatures and is working on achieving the next goal of 160,000
signatures, the threshold for a referendum to be held in the city. If more than
1.6 million residents vote in the referendum, with half of them supporting
halting the loading of fuel rods, then operation of the plant would be halted.
While holding referendums is a symbol of Taiwan’s democratic achievements, they
have been described as tools for political parties to impose their ideologies.
This, along with the high threshold required, is probably why the proposals in
all six national referendums held to date have been defeated.
The proposals in two of the three local referendums, including a proposal to
build a casino in Penghu in 2009, were also defeated, with the only successful
instance being one regarding another casino project in Matsu in July this year.
This could be the first time that a local referendum unrelated to gambling could
generate public interest and draw national attention. It would also be an
opportunity for Taiwanese to make their views clear on the dangers posed by
nuclear power.
Construction of the Longmen plant began in 1999, but was halted by the
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration in 2000 before resuming in
2001. The total budget has now reached NT$330 billion (US$11.3 billion), making
it one of the most expensive nuclear power plants in the world, calling into
question the efficiency of both President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration
and the designated plant operator, Taipower.
The safety of nuclear power plants has increasingly become a cause for concern,
in particular after the accident at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power
Plant last year. These concerns have been exacerbated by technical problems at
Taiwan’s nuclear plants.
Furthermore, a 100km deep fault in northern Taiwan, which already has the
highest density of nuclear power plants in the world, could further endanger the
lives of the 6 million people of New Taipei City, Taipei City and Keelung should
disaster strike.
The need for a new power plant, the government’s primary argument, should also
be discussed. Analysts and environmental groups have reported that if the excess
reserve capacity rate were scaled down and efforts made to develop alternative
energy sources, the plant would not in fact be needed.
Despite never completely addressing these issues, the Ma administration seems
determined to forge ahead with its commitment to nuclear power.
This is why a local referendum could create real change through the most direct
form of democracy and why it would be an historic opportunity to determine
whether people in northern Taiwan are willing to accept the risks of nuclear
power, however small they might be, for the sake of meeting energy demands.
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