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Youth most upset about continuous political squabbling

Incessant political squabbles are the biggest source of distress among Taiwanese youth, a non-profit organization said yesterday, urging the nation's leaders to place more emphasis on improving the living standards of the people instead of their own electability.

The poll on the cause of pain and distress was conducted by Tosun Foundation from a pool of 2,210 junior high school, high school and vocational high school students. Results showed that the highest ranked cause of pain and distress was the government's conduct, at 73.2 points, followed by uncertainty about the future, at 64.6 points, and social disorder, at 62.4 points.

Family issues and academic pressure were at the bottom of the list of five categories, but the foundation stressed that the level of pain and distress experienced by youth had made a tremendous leap in all five categories since last year, signifying that overall, youth are experiencing deeper distress.

EDUCATION JUMP

Dissatisfaction and concerns about the country's education system made the biggest jump from 53 points to this year's 56 points and the government's inability to curb the worsening environmental damage in the country also topped the list.

Foundation president Liao Cheng-hao (廖正豪) blamed government leaders for the widespread pessimism among youth, saying that many policy makers seemed to be more concerned about their own election results than upgrading the quality of life of the people.

"Instead of actively pushing for social welfare policies that could benefit the nation, many government agencies have become political batters to attack those who oppose them," said Liao, a former justice minister under the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government.

Taiwan's waning competitiveness and shrinking job market are making young people lose confidence in their future, he said.

REDUCE ELECTIONS

Liao suggested that the government cut down the frequency of elections because many young people are "absolutely sick of it" and feel it is a giant waste of social resources to hold so many elections each year.

"The government should lump all the major elections into one to prevent a huge waste of resources and animosity between the different groups in Taiwan. We must make sure our generation does not grow up in pain and suffering," Liao said.
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