TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The TPP held a press conference on Friday and outlined three major policy proposals for the government.
Party Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) announced “Three Arrows” or policy positions the party will pursue over the coming months and years, reported TaiSounds.
The TPP plans to introduce two public referendums: one on nuclear power and another to expand voting rights. The third proposal calls for new articles to the Statute for Industrial Innovation to increase wages for workers.
The proposed nuclear referendum would call for recommissioning the No. 3 Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung to meet Taiwan’s energy needs. The second reactor at Maanshan is Taiwan’s last operational nuclear power facility, but it is slated to be shut down on May 17.
The TPP criticized the ruling DPP’s policy of rejecting nuclear power in favor of renewable energy, which has fallen short of projected goals for green power generation. The deputy convener of the TPP caucus Chang Chi-kai (張啓楷) said the majority of the public, regardless of party affiliation, support the government’s continued use of nuclear power.
Chang quoted a survey that said 64% of Taiwan’s population favors maintaining nuclear power capabilities.
On the issue of expanding voting rights, the TPP will draft a proposal for a referendum to allow for greater use of absentee ballots and to permit voters to transfer their voting location. Under Taiwan’s election laws, voters are only eligible to cast ballots in the district of their household registration.
Current election law requires voters to return to their hometowns to participate in national and municipal elections. TPP said a survey indicates 73% of citizens favor allowing voters to transfer voting districts, allowing them to vote in the district where they reside.
Chang claimed 77% of the population supports expanding the use of absentee ballots for those who face difficulties visiting polling stations directly.
On the issue of amending the Statute for Industrial Innovation, Huang said that the party has already prepared draft amendments, but accused the DPP of stalling to block important democratic reforms.
The TPP hopes to increase wages in two ways. First, by increasing government support for small and medium enterprises, and second, by introducing legislation that would force listed companies to distribute a percentage of annual profits to their employees, per NewTalk.
