|
Anti-service pact
protests to be held this weekend
CROSS ABOUT PACT: The back-to-back
demonstrations both aim to underline what their organizers say are the
agreement’s democractic violations and potential damage
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Consecutive protests against the cross-strait service trade agreement are to be
held by various civic groups this weekend to highlight what critics say are the
pact’s violation of democratic principles and the potential harm it may cause to
the local service sector.
More than a dozen groups, led by the Cross-Strait Agreement Watch Association,
yesterday announced they planned to protest against the pact between 6pm and
10pm on Sunday in front of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, one day before the
beginning of an extra legislative session during which the deal is to be
reviewed and voted upon.
Preceding Sunday’s protest will be a demonstration planned by the Taiwan
Association of University Professors that is to be held on Saturday on Ketagalan
Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office over the same concerns — namely,
the opacity of the pact negotiation process and the possible negative impacts of
an influx of Chinese investment.
“The demonstration is necessary because it seems to us that President Ma Ying-jeou’s
(馬英九) administration has been trying to brainwash us all to support the pact
with the explanatory sessions it has been holding across the country and to push
the agreement through the legislature before the end of the extra session,”
Taiwan Democracy Watch convener Hsu Wei-chun (徐偉群) told a press conference.
Citing the recent series of controversies caused by land expropriations, urban
development projects and cross-strait engagement, which many claim are
violations of Taiwanese’s constitutional rights to property and
self-determination, Hsu said the central and local governments’ practices “have
derailed the nation from the track of democracy and jeopardized the human rights
of its citizens.”
Under the service pact, which is comprised of four chapters and 24 articles, 64
local service industry sub-sectors will be opened to Chinese investment, while
China will open up 80 industries to Taiwan.
Representatives of the civic groups organizing the rally said they opposed the
opacity of the agreement and a possible push by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
to fast-track the agreement directly to a second reading in the extra session.
They also demanded that the government hold public hearings on the potential
effects cross-strait liberalization could have on each sector listed under the
pact.
Taiwan Labor Front secretary-general Son Yu-lian (孫友聯) said that while almost
all labor rights groups opposed globalization and free-trade agreements (FTA),
the signing of an FTA between two entities should at least be debated and
discussed because labor conditions will be harmed by virtually any form of
relaxation in any sector.
However, the Ma administration never consulted the public or service-sector
workers before deciding to negotiate the pact, nor while it proceeded to do so,
Son said.
Separately yesterday, former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai
Ing-wen (蔡英文), who has extensive experience as a trade negotiator for the
government in the 1980s, said the service pact “has been nothing like the ones
we have signed before.”
Trade liberalization always involves the redistribution of wealth and benefits
among various social classes, which is why prior consultation, discussion and
explanation with the public and lawmakers are important, she said.
Without this, it would be difficult for the people of Taiwan and lawmakers to
accept the agreement as a package deal, Tsai said.
“It is strange that the Ma adminstration viewed people’s opposition and
suspicion toward the pact as a negative force rather than bargaining chips it
could use at the negotiation table,” she said.
|
