Taoyuan Councilor Recalled, First Domino Effect of Controversial Ractopamine Pork Policy
United Daily News, January 17, 2021
The Central Election Commission announced that the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Taoyuan City Councilman Wang Hao-yu’s recall was passed. The result of the vote was 84,582 in favor versus 7,128 against Wang’s removal. The turnout rate was 28.14 percent. Since the number of valid votes for approval was more than the votes of disapproval, and the votes for approval were more than one-fourth of the total number of voters in the original electoral district, Wang was successfully recalled.
As it appears, Councilman Wang is the first ousted city councilor in a special municipality. According to the Election and Recall law, if the recall proposal is passed, the recalled person shall be relieved of his post from the date of the announcement and shall not be a candidate for the same public office within four years. In response to the whole situation, Wang wrote on his fan page, “I want to sincerely thank all my supporters, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
At the moment of receiving the news of the successful recall, Tang Ping-jung, the initiating petitioner of the recall, and Chiu Jen-te, executive director of the recall headquarters, embraced each other in celebration. Tang stated that this recall has not only created history for the Zhongli District in Taoyuan and for Taiwan as a whole, but it is also a victory for the people of Taiwan. Through this recall, the people were able to oust a city councilor who spread rumors, smeared, and created division. Tang believes that the outcome of Councilman Wang’s recall will be a reminder to all politicians to be cautious with their words and actions as they serve their people.
This recall has also boosted the morale for the Kuomintang (KMT). KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang also stated that the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen should no longer underestimate the power of the people. He believes that the DPP administration should apologize and withdraw its policy of allowing the imports of pork that contains ractopamine. “Today’s civil action is simply the first wave of unsatisfied public opinion. The anger of the people will not end here,” said Chiang. Furthermore, Chiang also encouraged everyone to participate in the two referendums on food security and democracy on August 28.
Qiu Yi-sheng, chief of the Taoyuan branch of the KMT, also commented on Wang’s controversial words and behavior, “The success of Wang’s recall is the first domino effect resulting from the import of pork containing ractopamine.” According to the KMT’s press release, Wang was elected as a city councilor with more than 16,000 votes. However, the requirement to issue a recall requires at least 80,000 votes. The approval of Wang’s removal is a reminder for all politicians to stay vigilant. It is also a reflection of public opinion, which the governing party should be mindful of.
On February 6, there will be another recall vote for Kaohsiung city councilor Huang Jie. According to Huang, she underestimated the severity of a recall and was shocked by more than 40,000 joint signatures for a recall election. From the perspective of the KMT, the result of Wang’s recall is an encouragement for all people to express their opinions through recall and referendum cases.
Even though DPP Spokeswoman Yen Juo-fang said that people’s right to recall and its results should be respected, Yan believes that the KMT chairman, Legislative Yuan Caucus, and the Huang Fu-hsing department have clearly intervened the election by mobilizing voters and causing political confrontation. This situation should not be counted as a blessing for the people of Taiwan, nor is it what the majority of people wishes to see.
Chang Huo-lu, chief of the Taoyuan branch of the DPP, said that the requirement for a successful recall is so high that he did not expect Wang’s recall to be passed. The passing of the recall shows how discontent the people are with Wang. Chang said that he respects the result of democracy and will also conduct internal reviews and evaluations. However, he does not plan to cut relationships with Wang. Chang believes that it is important for a young politician to right his wrongs and learn his lesson. He also advises people representatives who have gained popularity through the internet to not get involved in controversial issues lest they encounter counterattacks in the name of democracy.
The Taiwan People’s Party also issued a statement saying that Wang’s various actions not only betrayed the party that once supported him, but also humiliated the third party. The People’s Party advises young people who are interested in politics to not use hate speech to raise their own voices and popularity at the cost of tearing apart the society.