Chen Po-wei

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.

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[1]
Yancheng District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations		Taiwan Statebuilding Party (2018–2022)

Early career

Chen worked in the film industry before pursuing political office.[2]

Political career

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 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

Application of National Languages Development Act

On 27 September 2021, as the National Languages Development Act 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.[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
  1. "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. 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". Act of 6 May 2020. Ministry of the Interior.
  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. 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. 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. 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. 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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