In a bid to attract female voters in the run-up to the March 18 presidential election, the KMT formed a "Home Run Women's Campaign Group" (
During a launch party for the group, Vice President and KMT presidential candidate Lien Chan (
However, several feminist analysts said Lien's statements lacked substance and originality.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
The campaign group was organized by the KMT's Department of Women's Affairs (婦工會). Huang Li-Chin (黃麗卿), director of the department, said nearly 700 female leaders in the KMT were recruited to join the group, including Taipei City Council speaker Wu Pi-chu (吳碧珠), legislator Chan Ren-hsiang (章仁香) and Chao Li-yun (趙麗雲), chairperson of the Council of Sports Affairs.
During the launch party, Lien said the KMT was the party that cared the most about "our sisters" and that women could count on the KMT to deliver on its promises.
He said women's issues were not private concerns, but rather public concerns, adding that women's policies should be mainstream public policies.
Lien said that if elected president, he would work hard for women's concerns.
He said he would try to stop all discrimination -- both visible and invisible -- against women. In addition, he said, he would provide women with as many resources and opportunities as possible.
Lien also said he would promote a community-based child and senior citizens care system, alleviating the burden on women. Lien's remarks were met with criticism by some feminists, however.
Peng Yen-wen
Over the past 40 to 50 years of KMT rule, she said, women's positions in the Cabinet have remained few and far between.
"Only after the Pai Hsiao-yen incident (
She also said that promoting women's personal safety should have been done long ago. She said that while the Council for Promoting Women's Rights, which was established due to social pressure two years ago, had set up a NT$1 billion fund for women's personal safety issues, no programs have been proposed or implemented. The fund has just recently started soliciting programs for safety issues, she said.
While it is still unknown whether the Lien-Siew camp will publish a policy white paper on women's issues, the DPP's Chen Shui-bian (
The KMT women's campaign group plans to hand out information brochures about women's safety issues beginning today at local markets around the country. Lien's camp hopes that by publicly talking about women's issues, the Lien-Siew ticket will be able to attract female voters.
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