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Chen Po-wei

Chen Po-wei
陳柏惟
Member of the Legislative Yuan
In office
1 February 2020 – 28 October 2021
Preceded byYen Kuan-heng
Succeeded byLin Ching-yi
ConstituencyTaichung II
Personal details
Born (1985-07-10) 10 July 1985 (age 39)[1]
Yancheng District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations
Taiwan Statebuilding Party (2018–2022)
EducationNational University of Kaohsiung (BA)

Chen Po-wei (Chinese: 陳柏惟; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Pek-ûi; born 10 July 1985)[1] is a Taiwanese politician. He was the first ever Taiwan Statebuilding Party candidate to be elected to the Legislative Yuan, defeating Kuomintang incumbent Yen Kuan-heng in the 2020 Taiwanese legislative election. In October 2021, Chen became the first member of the Legislative Yuan to lose his office via a successful recall election.

Early career

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Chen worked in the film industry before pursuing political office.[2] He studied at the National University of Kaohsiung.

Political career

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Chen began his political career by running for a seat on the Kaohsiung City Council. After losing that election, he moved from Kaohsiung.[3] Chen served as the spokesperson for the Taiwan Statebuilding Party (then known as Taiwan Radical Wings) and supported a recall movement against Kaohsiung City Mayor Han Kuo-yu. Throughout his political career, he has been a vocal supporter of Taiwan independence.[4]

In the 2020 legislative elections, Chen defeated Kuomintang incumbent Yen Kuan-heng in the Taichung City Constituency II becoming the first Taiwan Statebuilding Party legislator. His candidacy was supported by the Democratic Progressive Party and filmmaker Wu Nien-jen.[5]

In late 2020, Chen stood with Democratic Progressive Party to support the import of American pork with ractopamine.[6]

A proposal to recall Chen from office collected 3,744 valid signatures by 5 March 2021,[7] and 36,073 valid signatures by 2 July 2021,[8] prompting the Central Election Commission to tentatively schedule a recall election for 28 August, the same date as the originally scheduled 2021 Taiwanese referendum. Due to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan, the CEC announced on 16 July 2021 that Chen's recall election [zh] would be postponed to 23 October 2021.[9] A week before the recall vote, groups supporting Chen participated in a march starting at Zushi Temple in Qingshui.[10] Chen became the first Taiwanese member of the Legislative Yuan to be successfully recalled, ending his term less than two years into office.[11] Votes for Chen's recall numbered 77,899, against 73,433 opposing his recall. Votes supporting the recall topped 25% of the eligible electorate (73,744), with 51.72 percent voter turnout.[12] Per Article 92 of the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act, Chen will be ineligible to run for the Legislative Yuan in Taichung's second district for the next four years.[3][13]

Chen was officially dismissed from the Legislative Yuan on 28 October 2021.[14] Lin Ching-yi ran to succeed Chen, and he was secretary-general of her legislative campaign.[15] In July 2022, Chen left the Taiwan Statebuilding Party, and joined the Taichung mayoral campaign of Democratic Progressive Party candidate Tsai Chi-chang.[16]

Legacy

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Application of National Languages Development Act

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On 27 September 2021, as the National Languages Development Act [zh] in 2018 stipulates the public services for national languages including the interpreters in the legislature.,[17][18] and Chen having followed the regulation of Legislative Yan to applied in advance the real-time interpretation service and 3 Taiwanese interpreters had been present ready at site,[19] Legislator, Chen proceeded his scheduled questioning session in Taiwanese during the Foreign and National Defense Committee [zh].[20][21] The Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng did not accept the interpreter's assistance at site, but insisted to bring the deputy minister Lee Tsung-hsiao as his own interpreter.[19] Chiu repeatedly interrupted the question process by asking Chen to speak Mandarin Chinese for easier communication, or the session time cannot be lengthened to accommodate the interpretation,[20][21] but Lee's translation contained contextual errors,[20][21][19] so Chen I-hsin intervened during the heated argument and tried to introduce the existing real-time synchronized interpretation on progress at site as the solution same as the common conference practice in the other countries, but Chiu still insisted his way[20][21] Chen later apologized to the public for the good intention of practicing the national language law being turned into a linguistic communication tragedy, and condemned Chiu for "bullying" (鴨霸), but Chiu denied the allegation and claimed that a language is a tool of communication.[19] The parliamentary interpretation service were temporarily suspended afterwards pending on better communication in the future - consequently the other parliament members and media editorials such as Kuan Bi-ling and Taipei Times commented that Language is not just a tool of communication (as Chiu said), but also an identity of feelings and culture.[22] Councilor Miao Poya also explained that the multi-lingual working environment is essential for a healthy mind without the "Chinese Language Supremacy" (華語至上) attitude to achieve the international level in diversity, equality and mutual respect for a modern state.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Election Bulletin of the 10th Legislator in Taichung City Second Electoral District" (PDF).
  2. ^ Pan, Jason (10 October 2021). "Medical professionals support Chen Po-wei". Taipei Times. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  3. ^ a b Kuo, Chien-shen; Liu, Kuan-ting; Wen, Kuei-hsiang; Chao, Li-yen; Huang, Frances (23 October 2021). "Recalled Legislator Chen vows to win in 'next election'". Central News Agency. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  4. ^ Ann Maxon (2 July 2019). "Han recall bid tipped to clear initial threshold". Taipei Times. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  5. ^ Ching-Tse Cheng (11 January 2020). "Taiwan Statebuilding Party candidate wins in KMT stronghold". Taiwan News. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  6. ^ Jason Pan. "DPP passes ractopamine directives - Taipei times". Taipei Times. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  7. ^ Chao, Li-yen; Lee, Lee Hsin-Yin (5 March 2021). "Motion to recall controversial lawmaker passes 1st stage". Central News Agency. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  8. ^ Lai, Yu-chen; Wen, Kuei-hsiang; Mazzetta, Matthew (2 July 2021). "Election commission clears petition to recall pro-independence lawmaker". Central News Agency. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  9. ^ Lai, Yu-chen; Liu, Kuan-ting; Mazzetta, Matthew; Teng, Pei-ju (16 July 2021). "Recall vote against lawmaker Chen Po-wei postponed". Central News Agency.
  10. ^ Pan, Jason (17 October 2021). "Groups urge 'no' on Chen recall". Taipei Times. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  11. ^ Pan, Jason (23 October 2021). "Taichung voters recall Chen Po-wei". Taipei Times (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  12. ^ Huang, Frances (23 October 2021). "Chen Po-wei becomes first legislator in Taiwan to lose recall vote". Central News Agency. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  13. ^ Civil Servants Election And Recall Act. Ministry of the Interior. 6 May 2020.
  14. ^ Chen, Chun-hua; Ko, Lin (28 October 2021). "By-election for Taichung's 2nd electoral district slated for Jan. 9". Central News Agency. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  15. ^ Pan, Jason (11 January 2022). "Lin thanks Taichung voters after victory". Taipei Times. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  16. ^ Pan, Jason (3 July 2022). "Chen Po-wei joins Tsai Chi-chang's mayoral campaign". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  17. ^ "National languages development act passed by Legislature". Taiwan Today. Taipei. 26 December 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  18. ^ Ministry of Culture (11 January 2019). "Development of National Languages Act". Taipei. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  19. ^ a b c d e Li, Bing-fang (28 September 2021). "陳柏惟台語質詢和邱國正起衝突,道歉嘆「喜事變悲劇」,立院將暫緩執行通譯服務加強溝通" [Bo-wei Chen questioned Kuo-Cheng Chiu in Taiwanese, and sighed after the conflict: "A happy event turned into a tragedy" - the Legislative Yuan will suspend the interpretation service and improve the communication] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taipei: The News Lens. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  20. ^ a b c d Chen Po-wei; Chiu Kuo-cheng (27 September 2021). "會議隨選" [Meeting Recording Selection] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taipei: Multi-media Selection Video System, Meeting Broadcast IVOD Network, Legislative Yuan. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  21. ^ a b c d Chen Po-wei; Chiu Kuo-cheng (27 September 2021). "立法院公報第100卷第75期委員會紀錄-立法院第10屆第4會期外交及國防委員會第2次全體委員會議紀錄" [The Second Committee Meeting Minute, Foreign and National Defense Committee, Fourth Session, Tenth period, Gazette of the Legislative] (PDF) (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taipei: Gazette of the Legislative Yuan, Vol. 100, Issue 75. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  22. ^ "EDITORIAL: Language is not just a tool". Taipei Times. Taipei. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
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