Defying the Cabinet's stance on the issue, a group of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday proposed raising the monthly subsidy for elderly farmers.
The proposal, which calls for the subsidy to be increased by NT$1,000, was put forward by DPP caucus whip Wang Sing-nan (
When fielding questions on the legislative floor yesterday, Premier Su Tseng-chang (
PHOTO: CNA
"We will deliberate how to take care of underprivileged people should the bill to establish a national pension system fail to clear the legislature before July," Su said.
He restated his opposition to subsidy increases when answering questions from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Sun Ta-chien (
"The proposed amendment [calling for a subsidy increase] needs approval from the DPP caucus meeting [on Friday] if Wang Sing-nan wants to put it in the caucus' name," Su said.
Last Thursday, President Chen Shui-bian (
"I must say, the president never `asked' us to [increase the farmers' subsidy]. He `hopes' that we will do so," Su said yesterday. "In addition, the pension system as a whole should be our focus rather than any specific part of it, and the farmers' subsidy is supposed to be a part of that system."
At his press conference yesterday, Wang also lashed out at Vice Premier Tsai Ing-wen (
"Tsai doesn't understand the president's instructions at all," Wang said.
In her defense, Tsai, in a separate setting, said: "I was just kidding. I will pay my taxes on time."
However, Tsai did say that increasing the farmers' subsidy would significantly increase the government's debt and that she was against the proposal.
Meanwhile, DPP Legislator Wang Jung-chang (
Wang Jung-chang expressed concern that a plan to increase the subsidy would use money earmarked for underprivileged people.
"The government must impose a stock exchange tax -- which could generate NT$150 billion a year -- if it wants to increase the subsidy for elderly farmers. Otherwise, the elderly will suffer," he said.
The Cabinet is supposed to present its proposed national pension law to the legislature today after deliberation at the weekly Cabinet meeting.
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
The annual Taipei Summer Festival, which starts today, is to tone down its fireworks displays, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said on Monday. Fireworks displays are to be held at the riverside site in Datong District’s (大同) Dadaocheng (大稻埕) area on four days at this year’s festival, with the first today, and then on Wednesday next week, July 31 and Aug. 10, the department said. There were eight displays last year, with the reduction aimed at minimizing inconvenience to local residents, it said. The first three shows, which are all on Wednesdays, are to last for five minutes, while the final
FATAL ILLNESS: Untreated symptoms can rapidly worsen to complications such as high fever, seizures and loss of consciousness, and can be life-threatening, a doctor said Hospitals have been reporting dozens of people with heat-related illnesses every day over the past week, given continuous high daytime temperatures, so recognizing the early signs of heatstroke is crucial in preventing serious complications, a Taipei City Hospital emergency physician said. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued a heat alert for 19 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures in New Taipei City, Miaoli County and Pingtung County likely to exceed 38°C, and temperatures in 12 cities and counties likely to exceed 36°C for three days straight. More than a dozen people were taken to hospitals for heat-related illnesses every day from