Five advocacy groups yesterday called on candidates in the Jan. 11 presidential election to shift the focus of their campaigns to policy issues.
The election is less than a month away, but candidates “have not crossed swords over policy,” Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy managing director Eddy Lin (林彥廷) told a news conference in Taipei.
“The party that is falling behind [in polling] has begun attacks and even a smear campaign,” he said, without naming the party.
On the other hand, the party leading in polls appears to believe that it is “way ahead” and is “completely ignoring policy discussions,” he added.
Lin and representatives of the Awakening Foundation, the Economic Democracy Union, the Youth Labor Union 95 and Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan said that they have identified five areas of concern for the candidates — President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜).
The groups hope that the three candidates will start addressing their concerns at the first televised presidential platform presentation being held by the Central Election Commission at 7pm tonight, Lin said.
Regarding young people, Lin said that the policies proposed by the candidates have mostly involved promises of subsidies and benefits.
“Are the candidates able to clearly explain … where the money [to pay for such initiatives] will come from?” Lin asked.
Candidates should not make such promises and then, if elected, “fail to follow through, or follow through, but leave debt for future generations,” he said.
Regarding the nation’s sovereignty, Economic Democracy Union research fellow Chiang Min-yen (江旻諺) said that all candidates should “promise not to negotiate or sign agreements — such as a peace deal or a mutual military trust mechanism — with China under Beijing’s ‘one China’ principle.”
Regarding the environment, Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan deputy secretary-general Tsai Chung-yueh (蔡中岳) urged the candidates to explain if and how they would implement policies — such as energy or carbon taxes — to regulate carbon emissions.
Regarding childcare, Awakening Foundation senior research fellow Tsen Chao-yuan (曾昭媛) asked the candidates to propose a holistic solution, not just subsidies, to the challenges new parents face.
Paid family care leave and the creation of family-friendly public spaces are some of the ideas advocacy groups have proposed, she said.
On labor rights, Youth Labor Union 95 director Chen Hsiao-wen (陳曉雯) pressed for legislation guaranteeing workers time off for typhoon days.
She also called for education on labor rights to begin at an early age.
If the candidates do not respond to the groups’ concerns, they might consider raising them “in person” at presidential platform presentations or debates scheduled for later dates, Lin said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS