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
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