Civic groups yesterday panned the two major parties’ rush to increase subsidies for elderly farmers as an election ploy, saying they should introduce more effective long-term policies to help the agricultural sector.
“I am very worried about the future of the agricultural sector and farmers, as both the KMT [Chinese Nationalist Party] and the DPP [Democratic Progressive Party] have a tendency to increase subsidies for elderly farmers during election time,” Alliance for a Fair Tax Reform convener Wang Jung-chang (王榮璋) told a news conference at the legislature.
“Of course, an additional NT$1,000 each month is good for the farmers, but we need more effective agricultural policies to boost their income, otherwise the problem will always be there,” Wang said.
He said that while farmers and farming activists had staged several demonstrations across the country in protest against land expropriation and unequal distribution of water resources, “no one had ever brought up the issue of subsidies for elderly farmers.”
“This shows that the subsidy is not a core issue for Taiwan’s agricultural sector,” he added.
Lin Wan-yi (林萬億), a professor at National Taiwan University’s Department of Social Works and a former minister without portfolio under the DPP administration, showed how election dates corresponded to increases in subsidies for farmers above the age of 65.
Lin said the subsidy was increased from NT$3,000 to NT$4,000 for the first time in December 2003, ahead of the March 2004 presidential election; the issue was brought up again in December 2005 ahead of year-end local elections and the subsidy was raised from NT$4,000 to NT$5,000 in January 2006.
The DPP tried to incorporate the farmers’ subsidy into a national pension plan, but it remained a separate system and was increased again to NT$6,000 in 2007 ahead of the 2008 presidential election, Lin said.
“It’s not surprising that both parties are preparing to raise the subsidy again this year before the presidential and legislative elections next year,” he said.
“I’m opposed to this. I think the farmers’ subsidy should be incorporated into a better-structured national pension plan, and political leaders should come up with concrete policies to resolve the issues facing farmers in the agricultural sector,” Lin said.
On Wednesday, the DPP decided at its Central Standing Committee meeting that the party would propose raising the subsidy from NT$6,000 to NT$7,000.
The KMT said it was not opposed to the idea and would consider supporting such a move.
Taiwan Labour Front secretary-general Son Yu-lian (孫友聯) said that a national pension plan could take care of everyone’s economic security in old age.
“The way the two political parties are competing to raise subsidies for elderly farmers as if they’re in an auction will only bring down the country’s finances,” Son added.
Anti-Poverty Alliance convener Chien Hsi-chieh agreed.
“As Taiwan has a growing aging population, it’s an urgent matter for political leaders to seriously think about a solution to the economic security of senior citizens,” he said.
“We need more than subsidy [increases] for individual groups before elections,” Chien said.
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