Lin Pin-kuan or Peter Lin (; born 15 August 1948) is a Taiwanese politician. First elected to the Legislative Yuan as a member of the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

in 1995, he continued serving until 2012. In 2004, Lin switched affiliations to the

Non-Partisan Solidarity Union The Non-Partisan Solidarity Union is a political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was established on 16 June 2004, led by founding Chairwoman Chang Po-ya and emerged a major player in the national political scene during the 2004 Le ...

, and became chairman of the NPSU in 2007.

Education and early career

Lin studied library science at

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; ) is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as the seventh of the Imperial Universities. It was named Taihoku Imperial University and served d ...

. Prior to running for office, he worked in the construction industry.

Political career

Lin served his first two full terms in the Legislative Yuan, representing Penghu County, as a member of the Kuomintang. Lin left the Kuomintang in 2001, and in December, won reelection as an independent. He joined the Kuomintang caucus upon taking office for his third term in 2002. Later that year, Lin voted to confirm

Yao Chia-wen Yao Chia-wen (; born 15 June 1938) is a Taiwanese politician. He was the second chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), serving from 1987 to 1988. He was a member of the Legislative Yuan from 1993 to 1996, and president of the Exam ...

as President of the Examination Yuan. Shortly after his vote was cast in opposition to KMT caucus wishes, Lin defected to a caucus convened by independents. In June 2004, Lin joined the

. Lin won reelection twice thereafter running under the NPSU banner. In November 2010, Lin succeeded Kao Chin Su-mei as convenor of the legislature's Internal Administration Committee. His 2012 legislative bid was unsuccessful.

Political stances

Lin has long supported the establishment of casinos in Penghu County. He stated in 2008 that the intention was not "to attract hardcore gamblers, but to develop casino resorts that will bring families." In 2009, Lin said that his constituents had never discussed opposition to the building of casinos with him, blaming disapproval of the initiative on the Democratic Progressive Party and people from the main island of Taiwan. The proposal was rejected by Penghu County residents via

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

in 2009. In December 2010, Lin proposed an amendment to the Offshore Islands Development Act mandating that the government should provide a living stipend, along with funds for transportation so that students native to Taiwan's outlying islands could return home at the end of the school year. To further ease travel for residents of the outlying islands, Lin moved to amend the Civil Aviation Act, so that travel via certain airports and islands received a larger subsidy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lin, Pin-kuan 1948 births Living people National Taiwan University alumni Leaders of the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Members of the Legislative Yuan Members of the 3rd Legislative Yuan Members of the 4th Legislative Yuan Members of the 5th Legislative Yuan Members of the 6th Legislative Yuan Members of the 7th Legislative Yuan Kuomintang Members of the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan Penghu County Members of the Legislative Yuan Politicians of the Republic of China on Taiwan from Kaohsiung