Campaign spotlights social issues

Social issues featured strongly in yesterday's TV campaign forum for the presidential election.

KMT's Lien Chan (連戰) made a series of policy promises on upgrading Taiwan's social and cultural conditions.

Independent James Soong (宋楚瑜) used most of his time criticizing his opponent Lien for inaction on social welfare.

The DPP's Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) proposed a "3-3-3 program," emphasizing his resolution to take care of small families.

On social aspects, Lien said his first mission is to start a war against crime, especially in the areas of women's personal safety. He also promised to offer more security in areas of employment, property, education and political participation.

"We should set up a thorough social security system to take care of the eldery, women, aborigines, mentally or physically disadvantaged and low-income citizens.

On housing policy, Lien promised to offer a preferential loan rate that would be lower than the existing 3.5 percent to first-time house consumers.

Lien also highlighted his previous achievement in the Cabinet, assuring his promises would not be empty.

Before the National Health Insurance program was implemented, Lien said, there were nine million patients and 400,000 chronic patients without any health insurance coverage.

But five years later, he said, everyone is enjoying the fruitful results of the policy.

"This policy received 80 percent approval from the people, and has become the most successful public policy," he said.

Lien's "10 visions" provoked an immediate response from Soong, who said the Central Government was currently in debt for NT$2.4 trillion and the potential debts, including those of local governments, was NT$6 trillion.

"The governments could not even afford the expenses of the National Health Insurance and the Labor Insurance," he said.

Soong also pointed out that the unemployment rate had reached the highest point in over 14 years. And one third of aborigines were unemployed, he said.

"The government's protection of human rights is making us more and more worried," he said.

Soong did concede that all of the candidates' policies on social issues were similar, but they differed in their style of presentation.

"I fully agreed with the 10 visions that Mr Lien proposed, but the key point is to ask who has the capability, resolution and the methods to fulfill people's expectation," he said.

Compared with Lien and Soong, Chen yesterday presented a more focused plan on social welfare -- the 3-3-3 home-settling and welfare project (三三三安家福利專案).

Before the National Annuity Plan (國民年金計劃) is implemented, Chen said, people over aged 65 without any welfare allowance would be granted NT$ 3000 per month.

The second "three" is that children under three would be exempt from any medical expenses, Chen said.

And Chen also promised to offer a preferential loan interest rate of 3 percent to first time home buyers.

"A-bian (referring to himself) is the only one who understands the hardship of citizens from small to middle-class families," Chen said.