President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday sat down with students at St John’s University to answer questions about his government’s policies and listen to their ideas on how to build interest in public policy among the nation’s youth.
The event was well received and some students, hoping to get Ma’s attention for the chance to ask him a question, flashed signs saying “cue me.”
Two subjects — the death penalty and the proposed luxury tax — were foremost on students’ minds. At one point, Ma stepped off stage to better interact with students.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Some students said they -opposed abolishing the death penalty, arguing that it was a deterrent to delinquents. However, others said capital punishment concerned humanitarian issues and should be abolished.
Asked by Ma whether those who supported abolishing the death penalty would still be in favor of doing so if their next-of-kin were the victim, a student said she would.
The issue of abolishing capital punishment arose recently when the Ministry of Justice executed five prisoners on death row on March 6. The action drew condemnation from EU countries and Human Rights groups, as the government has signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
The ICCPR recognizes the right of people on death row to seek a pardon or commutation of their sentence, a covenant Taiwan is legally committed to implement until it abolishes capital punishment.
On the question of the proposed luxury tax, which the Ma administration has said could be implemented in June, a male student said it was every man’s dream to drive an expensive car.
“If cars worth more than NT$3 million [US$104,000] are subject to heavier taxes, then I need to save more money,” the student said.
Ma said he hoped to have a rational exchange of thought with young, middle-aged and elderly groups to look for the best solutions to the country’s problems.
“It’s not an easy answer to get at, but with careful thought, when we do one day make a decision, it should be acceptable, even though not completely satisfactory,” Ma said.
Minister of Finance Lee Sush-der (李述德) has said the purpose of the bill is to slow down the frequency of property sales and address public discontent with rising commodity prices partly driven by consumption of high-priced products.
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