Minister Yu sets his course

New Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (余政憲) said at his first press conference yesterday that he will continue policies left by former ministers and work to be the best possible liaison between the central and local governments.

Yu, a former Kaohsiung County commissioner, declared his determination to implement President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) policies, such as the "333 family welfare program," one day after he stepped into his new post on Friday.

Yu said that he would continue work on the implementation of senior citizens' subsidies, which are part of the "333 family welfare program" promised by Chen during his election campaign.

The Legislative Yuan has frozen the budget for the subsidies, since legislators have said that all senior citizens should qualify for the subsidies. The ministry asserts that the measure should exclude senior citizens who already receive other government subsidies and says that they should only be awarded according to need, in an effort to avoid abuse of the fund.

The total annual budget for the program is estimated at NT$16 billion. The plan is supposed to provide each eligible senior with a NT$3,000 monthly stipend.

Yu said he would work to persuade the legislature to allow the ministry to implement the policy as soon as possible.

He added that the government's long-term goal is to put the National Pension Program (國民年金) into place, saying that the subsidy policy is just a temporary one.

Meanwhile, Yu said he would push for the elimination of a controversial amendment that requires citizens to be fingerprinted and said he will speed up the long-delayed issuing of new national ID cards.

The government has delayed issuing the new version of national ID cards amid a controversy over whether to establish a national database of citizens' fingerprints.

A 1997 amendment to the Household Registration Law required all citizens over the age of 14 to submit their fingerprints when they are issued identification cards.

The president's advisory group on human rights, however, opposes the fingerprint database on civil rights grounds.

The ministry proposed a revision to the law aimed at eliminating the fingerprint requirement, but it failed to pass the last legislative session since many opposition lawmakers and the ministry's former minister, Chang Po-ya (張博雅), support the database.

Yesterday Yu also proposed that "sports service" be included in the options for Alternative Military Service. Instead of military service, the program would offer athletes the chance to help the government promote sports in elementary schools and in communities.

On Thursday Yu begins a "listening tour" of Taiwan, visiting 23 counties and cities to hear the ideas and problems of local governments.