Publisher and former national policy adviser Rex How (郝明義) yesterday called for a public debate with Premier Lin Chuan (林全) over the government’s Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program, whose review process he said lacked in transparency, while the Executive Yuan criticized How for “stigmatizing” the plan with false accusations.
A signature drive launched by How and a group of campaigners to petition for an open debate on the NT$882.49 billion (US$29 billion) project has collected more than 5,000 signatures, and How yesterday invited Premier Lin Chuan (林全) to debate the project with experts.
The government has failed to explain its plans in detail and in the program’s official document a description of just 313 characters was provided for an MRT project in Kaohsiung that would cost NT$145.47 billion, How said.
Photo: CNA
A draft act on the program received the approval of a legislative committee, but not a single word of the act was modified, How said.
In the next phase of the legislative review, the draft is to be discussed at cross-caucus negotiations, a process criticized for its lack of transparency, so a public debate with the premier is needed to ensure transparency and sufficient discussion, How said.
At a meeting last month, How asked Lin to report to the legislature during the extraordinary legislative session, but Lin refused, saying it would “disrupt the [legislative] system” and his report would be “obstructed by opposition parties.”
He invited Lin to take part in a televised debate, where there would be no interference from opposition parties, How said.
The Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program does not exclude the possibility of large-scale expropriations, despite Lin promising no such actions would be taken, New Power Party Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said, adding that the premier should answer doubts raised regarding the project.
Meanwhile, Executive Yuan spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said the official document of the project is a 370-page report with detailed descriptions of each infrastructure project, but How had cited a simplified version to create a false impression and “stigmatize” the plans.
The premier would not dodge public scrutiny and would report to the Legislative Yuan when the plan’s budget proposals are being reviewed, but not when the draft act for the project is being reviewed, Hsu said.
Only two MRT projects involve large-scale expropriations — an MRT line in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) and another in Taoyuan — but those projects and the expropriations were approved prior to the program, Hsu said.
No large-scale expropriation is required for other infrastructure projects, he said.
Cross-caucus negotiation is a formal legislative discussion with review functions, Hsu said, calling on critics of the plan to be rational when debating the project.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
RSS