Mayoral candidates in Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan should address the concerns of millennials at forums ahead of the local elections in November, a coalition of college student unions said yesterday.
National Students’ Union of Taiwan president Huang Ting-wei (黃亭偉) said the coalition is planning a series of forums in the three cities, the publication of a youth policy white paper and to charter buses to take students to the districts where they are registered to vote on Nov. 26
Mayoral candidates are invited to join the events, which involve the efforts of nearly 20 colleges and universities in the three cities, he said, asking the candidates to respond to the invitation before the end of this month.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
The youth policy white paper is to be created in collaboration with policy experts and would touch upon culture, democracy, freedom, human rights and economy, focusing on the three northern special municipalities, union managing director Chen Ssu-yu (陳思妤) said.
The document is expected to be published next month, she added.
Candidates in Taipei should lend their ears to students who are not registered to vote in the city, but study, live and work there, as city policy affects their livelihood, National Taiwan University Student Association president Sun Yu-chien (孫語謙) said.
None of the Taipei mayoral candidates have put forward a coherent program on youth policy or a vision for the future of the city, former National Chengchi University Student Association president Ke Chia-wei (柯嘉偉) said.
“Young people are not interested in political strife or spittle,” he said. “Candidates should leave their baggage behind and try to listen.”
Young people in New Taipei City want the city government to deal with infrastructure and housing issues that lie outside the scope of the New Taipei City Youth Development Office, National Taipei University Sanxia Campus Student Association president Lee Chih-yu (李芝玉) said.
Local governments must offer more than lip service to young people, and start treating them as partners in dialogue and voters deserving of respect, New Taipei City Youth Public Affairs Association president Hisao Jen-yu (蕭任祐) said.
Taoyuan has the youngest population of any locality in Taiwan and therefore carries a greater responsibility to involve young people in creating a vision for the city’s future, Yuan Ze University student association president Liu Yao-wei (劉曜維) said.
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