Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) vowed yesterday to turn President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) campaign promises into policies later this month to facilitate their implementation and pave the way for economic improvement within six months.
“We know that the public has high hopes for the new government, but it would take at least six months before the economy could show signs of an improvement,” Liu said during a question-and-answer session in the Legislative Yuan.
Liu made the remarks in response to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alex Fai (費鴻泰) who challenged the administration’s capability to improve public livelihoods after the Cabinet’s sudden decision to raise gasoline prices, which sparked widespread criticism.
Liu said all government agencies would propose solutions to deal with the price hikes.
KMT Legislator Luo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) questioned Liu on the budget source for various policies proposed by the Cabinet, including about NT$20 billion (US$660.5 million) in maternity benefits and NT$2.7 billion in subsidies for first-time home buyers.
Liu said the Cabinet would prioritize the policies outlined in Ma’s campaign platform, allocate the budget and turn these proposals into formal policies by the middle of this month.
In response to KMT Legislator John Wu’s (吳志揚) question on the feasibility of realizing Ma’s promise of granting employees two-year maternity leave with 60 percent pay, Minister of the Council of Labor Affairs Jennifer Wang (王如玄) said the council would implement the policy gradually, starting with providing female workers with 60 percent of their salary for the first six months of their two-year maternity leave.
As for Ma’s promise to provide first-time home buyers with a NT$2 million zero-interest loan for the first two years, Minister of the Interior Liao Liao-yi (廖了以) said that the government would make sure that the interest rate in the third year does not exceed 2.27 percent to protect buyers’ rights.
Liao said the policy would be implemented next year.
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands. They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — that motorcycles and scooters above 250cc be allowed on highways, that all motorcycles and scooters be allowed on inside lanes, and that driver and rider training programs be reformed. The ministry said that it has no plans to allow motorcycles on national highways for the time being, and said that motorcycles would be allowed on the inner
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition