Recent proposals by legislators from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) not only weaken the spirit of democracy and the rule of law, but also pose significant harm to Taiwan’s education, cultural development and the shaping of civic awareness.
The opposition parties have proposed budget cuts for the Ministry of Culture, the Taiwan Public Television Service Foundation and other government agencies, shortening the required wait for Chinese spouses to obtain national ID cards and relaxing the eligibility criteria for Chinese to join the National Health Insurance (NHI).
The effects of these proposals must be thoroughly examined from the perspective of civic education, and society must be encouraged to focus on fair and sustainable policies.
Budget cuts for cultural and education programs would jeopardize Taiwan’s long-term development. Education and culture — promoted through measures such as supporting rural education, preserving cultural heritage — are the foundation of a nation’s progress.
Through political manipulation, the coalition of KMT and TPP legislators aims to significantly cut important budgets for transitional justice education and historical preservation, which would deprive young people of opportunities to develop a comprehensive understanding of Taiwan’s history and culture.
Educators must persevere in emphasizing the crucial role of cultural education in shaping civic literacy and values.
Shortening the time required for Chinese spouses to obtain ID cards ignores the important issues of national security and fairness. Reducing the six-year requirement would spark anxiety over Chinese infiltration and possible fraudulent marriages, and would create inequalities for foreign spouses of other nationalities.
Relaxing eligibility requirements for Chinese nationals to join the NHI system poses a severe existential threat to Taiwan’s healthcare system. The KMT-TPP proposal to shorten the waiting period from six years to just one or two years is bound to attract swaths of Chinese nationals to use fraudulent marriages and other methods to quickly join the system, thereby stressing its finances and creating unfairness for other foreign nationals.
The NHI system should uphold the core values of equality and sustainability, and the overall interests of society must remain a primary consideration throughout the policymaking process.
The KMT’s and TPP’s controversial policies severely undermine Taiwan’s principles of democracy and fairness, while posing a significant threat to key national pillars such as education, culture and the NHI system. Such policies would undoubtedly have a multifaceted effect on Taiwanese society.
The opposition legislators, as they continue to undermine the Constitution and instill chaos in governance, are setting a bad example and creating serious obstacles to the development of civic awareness among young people. The heart of education lies in cultivating critical thinking skills and social responsibility among students.
Teachers must guide their students in discussions about the fairness of policies and their long-term effects. Stimulated discussions and analytical reports can help students understand the connection between the policymaking process and social responsibility. In this way, educators can foster moral values and critical thinking, while working with students to safeguard Taiwan’s democracy and social fairness, thereby building a more solid societal foundation for the next generation.
Pan Wei-yiu is a policymaker at the Taiwan Nation Alliance and president of the Union of Taiwanese Teachers.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
Somehow, US intelligence identified “the Houthis’ top missile guy” and pinpointed his exact location. At 1348 hours (Washington time), March 15, President Trump’s national security advisor Mike Waltz texted, “positive ID of him walking into his girlfriend’s building.” The unsuspecting Romeo entered. High above, the drone monitoring the building registered a flash. When the smoke cleared, Mr. Waltz texted, “…And it’s now collapsed.” RIP. The star-crossed “top missile guy” had been target number one in the now uproarious US Navy bombing campaign on that Sunday against the Yemeni rebels who have been holding the Red Sea hostage since October 19,
Deflation in China is persisting, raising growing concerns domestically and internationally. Beijing’s stimulus policies introduced in September last year have largely been short-lived in financial markets and negligible in the real economy. Recent data showing disproportionately low bank loan growth relative to the expansion of the money supply suggest the limited effectiveness of the measures. Many have urged the government to take more decisive action, particularly through fiscal expansion, to avoid a deep deflationary spiral akin to Japan’s experience in the early 1990s. While Beijing’s policy choices remain uncertain, questions abound about the possible endgame for the Chinese economy if no decisive
Actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) on March 13 posted an Instagram caption after the opening of Tiffany’s Taipei flagship store two days earlier that read: “Thank you Tiffany for inviting us to Taipei China.” We know that Yeoh knows Taipei is in Taiwan, not China, because the caption was posted following comments she made — in English — in which she said: “Thank you to Tiffany for bringing me to Taipei, because I do love this country very much.” Her remarks and the subsequent Instagram caption were reported in Taiwan, in Chinese and English- language media such as Radio Free Asia, and overseas,
China poses a dire threat to Taiwan’s semiconductor industry as it steps up efforts to poach Taiwan’s top chip talent, following the US’ implementation of stringent chip restrictions. Beijing is keen to develop its own semiconductor technologies, leveraging skilled engineers from Taiwan, Europe and other countries to circumvent US restrictions on providing China access to advanced US chips, particularly those used in artificial intelligence applications, as well as other chip technologies and manufacturing equipment. Taiwan has always contended with talent competition from China, but the situation is worsening. The Hsinchu District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday said that China’s ARK Semi and