The Alliance of Fairness and Justice (AFJ) was established yesterday in a bid to form a "third force" in next year's presidential campaign.
The alliance, made up of minority groups, aims to put forward welfare policies and push for the establishment of a social security network.
The alliance's convener, ex-DPP legislator Chien Hsi-chieh, said the alliance is a new social movement pursuing fairness and justice.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
The alliance, nicknamed the Pan-Purple Alliance, with purple representing minorities, has come up with the slogan: "Goodbye to shortsightedness and immediate benefit. Pursue fairness and justice."
Chen denied media reports that the alliance had contacted old-guard DPP politician Lin I-hsiung (
Chen said actions taken by the alliance require the consent of its board, and that the board has not discussed the issue of nominating a presidential candidate.
He did not exclude the possibility of a nomination, however, or the possibility of the alliance becoming a political party in the future.
In terms of policy, the alliance made welfare proposals yesterday based on a socialist model.
"We are asking the government to increase taxes on rich people and corporations," said Wang Jung-chang (王榮璋), secretary-general of the Alliance for Handicapped People (殘障聯盟) and the AFJ spokesman.
"Instead of increasing stipends for old people and low-income families, the government should push for elderly citizens' welfare. Furthermore, the welfare systems for old people and the handicapped should be integrated and strengthened," Wang said.
The alliance also asked the government for clear policies on immigrants and to create a special department in charge of related affairs such as protecting the work and education rights of foreign brides and their children.
Chien said the formation of the alliance was partly due to minority groups' disappointment with the DPP's performance over the past three years. He added he didn't have any hope the KMT would understand the needs of minority groups.
Participating groups in the alliance include Chien's own Peacetime Foundation of Taiwan (台灣和平促進文教基金會), the Alliance for Handicapped People (殘障聯盟), the National Teachers' Association (全國教師會), the Alliance for Old People's Welfare Promotion (老人福利推動聯盟), the Parents' Association for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (智障者家長總會), Awakening Foundation (婦女新知), Eden Social Welfare Foundation (伊甸社會福利基金會), Taiwan Labor Front (台灣勞工陣線) and The National Federation of Banks' Employees Union (銀行員工會全國聯合會).
Also See Story:
Bid ups stock of Chien Hsi-chieh
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
The nation’s usually punctual high-speed rail system yesterday was hit by major disruptions after all scheduled services were canceled and replaced with three hourly trains offering only non-reserved seating, affecting more than 200,000 passengers. Preliminary findings indicate the disruption was caused by a faulty power module in a track switch control cabinet, Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) said, adding that as a full system inspection could only be conducted after operations end for the day, a decision on whether normal service would resume today would be announced before the first train departs. During a routine inspection early yesterday, a switch signal abnormality
RSS