A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration would commit to establishing a sound system for long-term care in four years and would allocate public funding of at least NT$40 billion (US$1.32 billion) in four years if elected in January, DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
In a symposium with representatives from various social care groups, Tsai said she recognized the importance of a comprehensive long-term care system that would benefit the young, the old and the disabled as the nation rapidly ages.
A 10-year plan with a budget of NT$81.7 billion to establish a long-term care system, which was proposed by the then-DPP administration in 2007, was abandoned after President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took office in May 2008, and Ma has not paid sufficient attention to the issue, Tsai said.
That is why Taiwan has to speed up the establishment of such a system and why the central government should play an active role, Tsai said, adding that if elected, she would set up a special task force to tackle the issue.
A centralized task force reporting directly to the president would find unused public buildings to use as sites for social care facilities, collaborate with non-profit organizations and coordinate different government agencies.
The presidential hopeful agreed with the representatives, who offered their suggestions and observation on long-term care, saying: “Human resources and money are always the most important issues when it comes to the social care system.”
Other than the NT$40 billion budget she proposed, the government should train more local caretakers, rather than hiring more foreign caretakers, so that more job opportunities could be created, Tsai said.
Most of the representatives who spoke at the 60-minute symposium were not happy with the current administration, with Foundation for the Welfare of the Elderly secretary-general Wu Yu-chin (吳玉琴) saying the Executive Yuan had offered “more interference than assistance.”
For example, Wu said, the Cabinet refused to include funding for nonprofits in its annual budgets and only agreed to fund them through the second reserve fund — a special budget.
Tsai also pledged to review next year’s national budget if she won the presidential election on Jan. 14 and to make necessary adjustments, because “the DPP’s priorities in governance are different from those of the KMT [Chinese Nationalist Party].”
“At the end of the day, the government’s determination is crucial. We have to get this done, and we will get it done,” Tsai said.
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS