I kept thinking someone else would start this thread but I guess not, so here goes. Will Chen do it? Will there be a referendum? On what issues?
Chinese Officers Say Taiwan’s Leaders Are Near ‘Abyss of War’
By JOSEPH KAHN
Published: December 4, 2003
BEIJING, Dec. 3
right now, it seems like a push. i read (not sure where) this morning that the pan-blues are trying squeeze something thru the legislative yuan asking beijing to stop adding missiles targeting taiwan and eventually begin decreasing the number.
maybe they’ll point them at tibet or xinjiang…
but the point of the pan-blue endrun was to get beijing to remove the impetus for ah-bian’s ‘emergency’ refer…
anybody else hear about this?
How come all of a sudden they’re called ‘referendums’ a few months ago they only called them plebiscites, what’s going on there ?
Please forgive my ignorance, but what is the difference between the two? In Chinese, they are both just called
Chen needs to keep the focus of the election on the status of Taiwan in order to remain in office. Thus, we will have a referendum that will likely challenge the status quo in terms of popular participation in constutional reforms. If he is defeated, the KMT will inherit a populist concensus that will prevent Lien/Soong from seeking closer political ties with the mainland.
The new pan-blue crony designed referendum law is designed to make a referendum damn near impossible to hold, unless a majority of the legislature wants it. Moreover, the question will have to be vetted by a legislative committe, so I think that it will be hard.
Chen’s strategy should be to approve the law with some suggested amendments, thus turning the tables on the opposition, and making it look as if they turned the issue down in the end.
This is why President Chen is calling for a “defensive referendum,” which allows him to hold a referendum – without other restrictions on approval – on national security issues if there is an external threat to the nation.
Note that there is nothing in the wording about “military” threat or from where. It was purposefully vague.
China’s ballistic missiles targeting Taiwan is the reason, so the president thinks, that a “defensive referendum” is applicable.
The questions that will be asked are those that would not call for independance, but rather put Beijing in the worst light for a possible future military (or blockade) action, such as “Do you support the ‘one country, two sytems’ model for Taiwan?” This would of course be answered by a resounding “no” here and would put China in the position of having to deal with the people of Taiwan, rather than with a rarified political few.
I think there will be referendum. Chen is playing with fire here as much could go wrong (even though we all know where our nearest air raid shelter is), but I think he has stuck his neck out for it.
(By the way, questions two and three in the poll are absurd. These are not even being considered by anyone. You ought to change the poll, if you can, to reflect more realistic concepts for a valid result.)
I guess I hadn’t been reading the stories closely enough, Wolf. It does seem to be all about the missiles . . . for now (although who knows what the story will be in March).
Taiwan Referendum to Focus on Missiles, Not Independence
December 5, 2003
TAIPEI, Taiwan, Dec. 5
if they do have a referendum, they should add an extra box next to the main question: should we be voting on this referendum?
How much do you reckon votes will be going for in any referendum ? I reckon it could cost quite a bit to swing it for the DPP - after all, the KMT has the deepest pockets (and the most experience).
Well, the DPP has been doing its fair share of cozying up to big business ever since they came to power … at least that’s what most of my friends who used to support the DPP tell me.
And I bet one of the people who voted that the referendum would be about changing the flag, name, or constitution had to have been Hobart! 
If I were president the referendum would call for voting on a new flag, constitution, name and national anthem, stopping construction of the fourth nuclear plan, ending the death penalty, banning motorbikes on sidewalks and cramming of glossy crap in mailboxes, making prositution legal again and lifting the ban on betelnut girls showing their breasts, butts and bellies. . . but I’m not president, so we’ll have to settle for a less exciting vote.
I’m no fan of Chen Shuibian’s, but I love his proposed referendum. All those in favour of us not getting bombed to smithereens, please raise your hands! All those opposed? :saywhat:
It’s quite clever, really.
Who wouldn’t vote for the Status Quo ?
More possible referendum subjects:
The economy should:
a: get better
b: get worse
c: stay the same
Taiwan should have:
a: more
b: fewer
c: the same number of
typhoons
Earthquakes
a: should
b: should not
happen
I don’t! Nearest MRT station?
Anyone else here sick to death of the word referendum? I get the feeling that folks here into politics and press just seem to think that if they say or print that word enough times they’ll be more cool or something. Ugh! I just want to retch. What’s wrong with the word “poll?” It only one syllable, most folks here can say it, or even read it, and it means the same thing. Sigh. I need a vacation.
The referendum is the new egg-tart
[quote=“Poagao”]The referendum is the new egg-tart[/quote]Quote of the week !
A referendum is different from a poll which is different from an election.
A year ago, the only word they used was plebiscite, never hear that anymore…