Former department of health minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) yesterday refused to apologize for his comments from the day before, in which he said a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate was “useless” because she cannot bear any children at nearly 50 years old.
The comment came during a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rally on Thursday, which Yaung attended to stump for KMT legislative candidate Chang Szu-kang (張斯綱).
Chang is running against DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) to represent Taipei’s Beitou (北投) and Shilin (士林) districts.
Photo courtesy of Rosalia Wu’s office
Yaung said the DPP government was the cause of Taiwan’s low birthrate, then targeted Wu by saying: “She is useless now, at nearly 50 [years old], she cannot bear any children. She will have no kids and no grandchildren.”
He then turned to ask KMT City Councilor Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) sitting nearby if she has any children, and after she said “no,” he told Hsu not to give a speech, but to “go home to make love [with her husband].”
Although Chang has since posted an apology saying he does not agree with the comment, Yaung during an interview yesterday refused to apologize.
“I was just stating facts,” he said. “I respect Wu’s decision to remain single... Each woman has the genes to become a mother. My remarks hurt Wu’s feeling, but why is she being so fragile?”
Wu said that Yaung is well-known for making slanderous remarks.
“He is a repeat misogynistic offender who hates women. Taiwan has made progress in gender equity, but the KMT is still full of old-guard conservatives and male chauvinists,” she said.
“Elections are for people to choose the best and most capable candidates. They should not be based on the perceived use of a woman’s uterus,” she added.
Wu also accused Chang of planning the incident as a smear tactic, saying that the candidate invited Yaung, knowing he would make personal attacks.
“It is not just about prejudice against women, but shows that negative campaigning is still useful in attracting public attention,” Wu said.
Separately, DPP Gender Equality Department head Lee Yen-jong (李晏榕) in a press release said that women “are not breeding machines.”
“Women need support from the government, society and their families to rear children. Politicians must not verbally harass and denigrate women, and must not use childbearing to impede women from participating in politics and public affairs,” Lee said.
The party also asked KMT candidates to oppose the views of their fellow members and speak out against the view that a woman’s proper place is in the home, Lee said.
Separately, DPP Legislator Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀), an obstetrician by profession, said that Yaung’s remark represents the “mainstream view” within the KMT.
“Yaung is known for making misogynistic remarks, but he still plays an important role in KMT campaigning and is a key member of the KMT’s think tank. It indicates that the KMT does not care about gender equity issues,” DPP Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) said.
Additional reporting by Kan Meng-lin
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to