Taiwanese Activists Denounce Nuclear Referendum as Election Tactic

A coalition of environmental and human rights groups has strongly condemned the recent legislative push to hold a referendum on nuclear energy in Taiwan. The groups argue that the proposed referendum, particularly the one concerning the "abolition of non-nuclear homeland," is being exploited by political parties for electoral gain. They characterized the referendum questions as ambiguous and containing logical traps, designed to manipulate public opinion.

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This is already the fourth referendum involving nuclear energy since 2018. Looking internationally, perhaps few countries like Taiwan hold referendums on nuclear power repeatedly in a short period.

At a press conference, representatives from various organizations, including the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union and the Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan, voiced their concerns. They highlighted that this would be the fourth referendum related to nuclear energy since 2018, a frequency they deem excessive and indicative of political maneuvering rather than genuine policy discussion. Past referendums on nuclear power have faced similar criticisms for their framing and timing, often coinciding with major elections.

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The current referendum text: 'Do you support the government using nuclear power to revitalize the economy, in exchange for abolishing the non-nuclear homeland energy policy?' is a word game and logical trap, packaging 'using nuclear power to revitalize the economy' with 'abolishing the non-nuclear homeland.'

Critics specifically targeted the wording of the proposed referendum, which asks, "Do you support the government using nuclear power to revitalize the economy, in exchange for abolishing the non-nuclear homeland energy policy?" They argue this phrasing creates a false dilemma, linking economic revitalization solely to nuclear power and forcing voters who support economic growth but oppose nuclear energy into a difficult choice. The groups also pointed out that restarting old nuclear plants would be costly and time-consuming, questioning why economic benefits are exclusively tied to nuclear power.

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The formation of the three referendum proposals by the opposition parties lacks substantive citizen deliberation and policy communication processes, and has even become a tool for political struggle for specific parties to mobilize elections and manipulate populist sentiment.

The activists urged the Central Election Commission (CEC) to exercise its oversight role and reject the referendum proposal. They warned that if the CEC fails to act responsibly, the public should boycott the referendum, refusing to be manipulated by political parties. The groups emphasized that Taiwan's energy future requires serious, comprehensive policy discussions, not decisions driven by simplified, misleading referendum questions used as electoral tools.

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Whether nuclear power should be restarted, whether old units should be extended, and whether new nuclear power plants should be built in Taiwan in the future, concerns the country's development for decades and requires a serious and responsible comprehensive policy discussion, not a hasty decision made by legislators through deliberately simplified referendum questions full of political slogans.