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JUST-PASSED REFERENDUM BILL CAN BE DELIBERATED: LEGISLATURE HEAD

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   Taipei, Nov. 27 (CNA) The referendum bill that passed a second 
   reading at the legislature Thursday represents a mixture of gains and 
   losses for both the ruling and opposition parties. 
    The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) succeeded in 
   putting into the bill an article that empowers the president, with 
   the approval of the Cabinet, to put to referendum issues concerning 
   national security should the state's sovereignty be threatened. 
    The president's right to call a referendum, known as defensive 
   referendum, is crafted to give the president the option to declare 
   Taiwan independence via referendum in case of an attack by Beijing. 
    However, the DPP failed to win for the executive branch the right 
   to initiate a referendum, which is reserved for the people and the 
   legislature as advocated by the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and 
   People First Party (PFP). 
    Under the terms of the bill, the people can initiate a referendum 
   by seeking signatures of 5 percent or 0.5 percent, depending on the 
   nature of the proposed referendum, of the number of voters in the 
   last presidential election. 
    In a further setback to the ruling party, the two opposition 
   parties also succeeded in adding to the bill provisions for 
   punishment of up to three years' imprisonment for any chief of the 
   executive branch who flies in the face of this bill by holding a 
   referendum. 
    These provisions are an obvious move to pull the plug on an 
   Executive Yuan announcement that it will carry out the country's 
   first national referendum on the next presidential election day, with 
   or without a referendum law. 
    The two opposition parties, which used to oppose a referendum 
   coinciding with a presidential election, did an about-turn at the 
   last minute and dropped its objection, deciding that holding a 
   referendum along with national elections would save time and money. 
    The bill, which would only be polished in the third reading, also 
   stipulates that proposals defeated in referendum cannot be raised 
   again within three years. 
   (By Maubo Chang) 
   ENDITEM/J