The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday launched its first TV ad of this campaign, which urged the government to extend tuition subsidies to include lower-middle class kids, saying it was part of a common platform TSU candidates are supporting for the Dec. 3 local-government elections.
The TSU's chairman, Shu Chin-chiang (蘇進強), unveiled the party's ad at a press conference yesterday.
Shu said that the TSU's campaign theme includes "cultivation of basic levels" and "winning over welfare for the poor" and said that the TSU will focus on practical topics affecting people's everyday lives.
Minorities
Seeing worsening injustices in Taiwanese society, the TSU has been working hard to fight for the rights of minorities and the lower-middle class on the principle of justice and fairness, he said.
"We will target a number of issues that directly concern people's livelihoods in the election campaign and hopefully we will draw the public's attention to the worsening injustices," Shu said.
The TV campaign ad focuses on tuition subsidies given to children of public servants.
"There are about NT$600 million of grants for public servants' school children and many high-ranking officials' children don't have to pay tuition even though they can definitely afford it," Shu said.
"However, there are few grants available for students from poor families," he said.
According to statistics released in 2001, the average income of public servants, teachers and soldiers amounts to NT$760,000 while the average working-class family earns about NT$320,000.
Shu said that the TSU will also work to exempt students from low-income families from paying tuition.
Political chaos
"The TSU did not and will not join in the recent verbal battles between the Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT], the Democratic Progressive Party and the People First Party. We hold on to our beliefs, stand by the people and make people feel that the TSU is a reliable party," Shu said.
"In this chaotic political situation, we hope that people will feel that at least they still have the TSU and former president Lee Teng-hui (
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