A Taipei City councilor yesterday urged the Ministry of the Interior to remove its restriction on senior-citizen participation in civic groups.
The Civic Group Personnel Management Regulation (
"This article discriminates against the elderly and is not in accordance with how some civic groups are run. I urge the bureau of social affairs at the Taipei City Government to speak with the central government about this regulation," Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Councilor Li Keng Kuei-fang (厲耿桂芳) said yesterday.
Li Keng said some civic groups which are normally led by senior citizens, such as those studying genealogy, find this regulation impractical.
There are more than 2,800 civic groups in Taipei alone, of which 288 are genealogy groups.
"The number of genealogy groups makes up over 10 percent of the civic groups registered in Taipei. Furthermore, according to a survey conducted by the Bureau of Social Affairs, out of 172 groups questioned, the leaders of 112 of them are over the age of 65. Sixty-five percent of these people do not meet the regulation," Li Keng said.
The regulation defeats attempts by senior citizens to serve their community, Li Keng said.
Henan Genealogy Association president Tsui Ching-pu (
The MOI said in response that the government had never strictly enforced the rule.
"This regulation was created a long time ago, and the ministry is not at all strict in enforcing it," said Chen Chi-hsun (
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