反萊豬、護食安守夜活動,江主席:捍衛人民健康才是捍衛國家利益
針對立法院明(24)日將審議萊豬進口相關行政命令,中國國民黨立法院團今(23)日晚間舉辦「反萊豬、護食安守夜活動」,黨籍立委們一同夜宿立法院外,為台灣食安守夜。江啟臣主席坦言,國民黨團人數沒有比執政黨多,但絕對會捍衛健康,為人民堅守到底。他強調,國家只有一個,國家是人民的,人民不健康,有什麼國家利益可言?蔡英文總統說開放萊豬進口是為了國家整體利益,但人民不健康,遑論國家利益,人民的健康才是國家的利益,「捍衛人民健康才是捍衛國家利益」。
因應國內新冠肺炎疫情的情況以及中央疫情指揮中心提出的防疫新原則,今晚「反萊豬、護食安守夜活動」做了形式上的調整,取消戶外號召群眾參與的集會,改為線上直播活動內容的方式,讓反對萊豬進口政策的民眾能透過線上觀看與留言,表達共同捍衛食安的心聲。
活動現場雖然飄著細雨,也沒有群眾的聚集,但國民黨立委們連番開講,展現力抗萊豬進口、捍衛國人健康的決心。黨團總召林為洲表示,國民黨所有委員今晚會在立法院前守夜,要一起守護台灣食安,戰到最後一刻。他質疑,民進黨在野時說萊牛、萊豬進來,總統要下台,現在民進黨上台,全豬、萊豬都進來了,這樣的雙標,人民絕對無法接受。他強調,國民黨明天將全力以赴,與所有守護台灣食安、反對萊豬進口的台灣民眾站在一起,共同表達反對瘦肉精美豬進口,也要讓過去反對萊豬進口、現在改變態度的民進黨立委一一現形,讓全民永遠記住這些雙標、殘害台灣食安的民進黨立委。
黨團書記長林奕華則指出,明天會是最不平安的平安夜,因為蔡政府送我們的禮物居然是明年1月1日萊豬進口,危害國人健康。民國101年通過的食安法是牛豬分離、排除內臟,這是站在台灣人的飲食習慣來考量;但今年8月28日蔡英文總統宣布開放進口萊豬,行政部門變成民進黨黨部,配合此政策全面啟動。她呼籲大家明天一起監督有哪些支持萊克多巴胺豬肉進口的「萊委」,讓我們共同展現人民力量,守護我們自己健康,告訴蔡政府「人民拒絕萊豬」。
活動現場也安排多個公民團體一同對蔡政府進口萊豬、危害台灣人民健康的政策發出怒吼。最後,江主席偕同所有黨籍立委一同手持代表希望之光的蠟燭,表達守護台灣、守護食安的決心。
江主席首先說明,國民黨是一個負責任的政黨,當今天政府說出有疫情時,為了民眾安危,我們停止集會動員,但所有國民黨立委仍然堅守要守夜的承諾。若是民進黨不會顧人民的安危與健康。江主席問大家,我們需要政府幹什麼?我們需要政府顧大家的健康而已,就是這麼簡單,但蔡政府「選前說一套,選後做不到、做一套」,永遠的雙重標準,別人不可以,民進黨做都可以,人民不能質疑,只要一質疑就法辦、查水表。
江主席表示,蔡英文總統曾說,關於萊克多巴胺進口,若她當總統,絕對和人民、產業、社會、在野黨溝通,但迄今沒有,而且明天民進黨就要在立法院,以多數暴力再度輾壓民意。請大家看清楚明天誰投贊成票,讓歷史留下紀錄,請大家緊盯螢幕,看哪幾個委員不顧民意、屈從黨意,投下贊成票,這些立委要為歷史負責、要為人民負責。
江主席強調,他曾遇見AIT處長酈英傑,明講反對萊豬的立場,這不光是他,立院黨團、國民黨上下反對萊豬的立場相當清楚,反萊豬遊行辦得這麼大,還不清楚嗎?
江主席並與所有黨籍立委以一鞠躬感謝今晚仍到場支援、聲援的民眾,他強調,明天絕對不是最終的戰場,只會顯現代議制度的失能,因為黨意凌駕民意,人民最後要自己做主就是透過公投,明年8月28日用自己的選票決定要吃什麼樣的豬肉?他表示,國民黨下周開始將展開第二階段公投連署,我們將會遍地開花,直接訴求民意,「讓人民自己做主,才是真的民主」。
Oppose Racto-Pork, Safeguard Food Safety Vigil
Chairman Chiang: Defending the People’s Health is Defending the National Interest
In response to tomorrow’s (December 24th) Legislative Yuan deliberation on the ractopamine pork (racto-pork) import executive order, the Kuomintang (KMT) legislative caucus will conduct a “Oppose Racto-Pork, Safeguard Food Safety Vigil” tonight (December 23rd). KMT legislators will stay outside the Legislative Yuan overnight and keep a vigil for Taiwan’s food safety. Chairman Johnny Chiang candidly stated that although the KMT caucus lacks the legislative majority, the KMT will still unequivocally defend the people’s health and stick it out to the end for the sake of the people. The Chairman emphasized that we only have one nation, and that nation belongs to the people. If the people are not healthy, how can we discuss national interest? President Tsai Ing-wen claimed that allowing imports of racto-pork are for the sake of comprehensive national interest, but if the people are not healthy, the national interest is out of the question. The people’s health is the national interest; “defending the people’s health is defending the national interest.”
Due to the domestic COVID-19 epidemic situation and the Central Epidemic Command Center’s new epidemic containment guidelines, tonight’s “Oppose Racto-Pork, Safeguard Food Safety Vigil” has been slightly altered. The call for the people to participate and gather outside has been cancelled, and the details of the event will instead be livestreamed online so that those who oppose the racto-pork import policy can watch and post comments, together expressing their heartfelt defense of food safety.
Although it was drizzling at the site of the event and the people could not gather, the KMT legislators repeatedly spoke to reveal their determination to fiercely oppose racto-pork imports and defend public health. Party whip Lin Wei-chou stated that all of the KMT legislators would spend the night in front of the Legislative Yuan, safeguarding Taiwan’s food safety together and fighting until the end. He then stated that when the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was the opposition party, it said, “if ractopamine beef and racto-pork come in, the president must step down.” Party whip Lin called this statement into question: now that the DPP is in power, all parts of pork and racto-pork will come in. The people unequivocally cannot accept this sort of double standard. He emphasized that the KMT will make an all-out effort tomorrow, standing together with all Taiwanese people who wish to safeguard Taiwan’s food safety and oppose racto-pork imports, to express their opposition to racto-pork. The KMT will also make the DPP legislators who formerly opposed racto-pork imports, but have now changed their minds, be known to all. This will allow all the people to forever remember these DPP legislators with double standards who are mutilating Taiwan’s food safety.
The KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Yi-hua then pointed out that tomorrow will be Taiwan’s most troubling Christmas Eve because the gift that the Tsai administration has unexpectedly given us all will be next year’s January 1st racto-pork imports, which will jeopardize the people’s health. The food safety law of ROC era year 101 (2012) differentiated between pork and beef, and furthermore eliminated all offal; this law thus takes into consideration the dietary habits of the Taiwanese people. Yet, President Tsai declared the import of racto-pork this past August 28th and the Executive Branch became a department of the DPP, entirely cooperating with this policy’s initialization. Secretary-General Lin called upon everyone to carefully observe which “racto-legislators” will support ractopamine pork imports tomorrow, and furthermore called upon everyone to reveal the people’s strength together, safeguard our own health, and tell the Tsai administration that “the people reject racto-pork.”
The event also arranged for multiple civic groups to fiercely express their opposition to the Tsai administration’s policy of racto-pork imports and jeopardization of the Taiwanese people’s health. In the end, Chairman Chiang, together with all of the KMT legislators, held candles representing their hopes, conveying their determination to safeguard Taiwan and safeguard food safety.
Chairman Chiang then explained that first of all, the KMT is a political party which takes responsibility, so when the government said that there was a new COVID-19 case today, the KMT stopped its plan to gather and mobilize the people, for the sake of the people’s safety. However, all of the KMT legislators will still keep stick to their promise of keeping an overnight vigil. If the DPP won’t protect the people’s safety and health, Chairman Chiang asked everyone, then what’s the point of their governance? We only need the government to protect everyone’s health: it’s that simple. Yet, the Tsai administration forever holds the double standards of “saying one thing before elections and doing another afterwards,” “do as I say, not as I do,” and if the people should dare to question the DPP, they will be punished and charged under false pretenses.
Next, Chairman Chiang stated that President Tsai Ing-wen had once said, regarding the matter of ractopamine imports, if she were the President, she would unequivocally communicate with the people, the meat industry, civil society, and opposition parties. Yet so far, she has failed to do so, and furthermore, the DPP will abuse its majority tyranny within the Legislative Yuan tomorrow to once again crush the popular will. The Chairman requested that everyone remember well those who vote in approval of racto-pork tomorrow so that they can be recorded in history, and also requested that everyone pay attention to their television screens to see which legislators, in spite of the popular will, capitulate to the will of the DPP and vote for racto-pork. These legislators must answer to history and must answer to the people.
Chairman Chiang then emphasized that he had met with William Brent Christensen, Director of the American Institute in Taiwan, to clearly explain the anti-ractopork position: this is not only his position; the anti-ractopork position of the entire KMT legislative caucus and all levels of the KMT is very clear. Furthermore, did the massive size of the anti-ractopork march not clearly express the will of the people?
Finally, Chairman Chiang and all of the KMT legislators bow in gratitude to all the people who still showed up to assist and support the KMT cause. He emphasized that tomorrow will absolutely not be the final battle. Tomorrow will only reveal the failures of our current system of discussion, as the will of the party is placed above the will of the people. However, by means of referendum, people can make the final decision themselves: next August 28th, the people can use their own votes to decide what kind of pork they’ll eat. The Chairman stated that beginning next week, the next stage of the Food Safety Referendum signature drive will be launched, and the KMT will pop up everywhere to directly appeal to popular will: “True democracy is letting the people decide for themselves.”