The Hakka Affairs Council is promoting gender discrimination with its Hakka-language learning materials, Democratic Progressive Party legislator Wu Yi-chen (吳宜臻) said yesterday.
“We are living in a time where gender equality is protected by the Constitution and has become a mainstream value in society, therefore I am quite confused and upset to see Hakka-language learning materials published by the council still containing phrases that obviously discriminate against gender,” Wu told council Minister Huang Yu-chen (黃玉振) during a meeting of the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee.
“For example, when speaking of men, we see phrases like ‘his father was a minister in the past, and has been retired for many years’ listed as an example for the word ‘minister,’” Wu said, reading out loud phrases from a Hakka-learning book. “But, for the word ‘tofu,’ the example written is ‘Mrs A-chiang has been selling tofu for decades and is called ‘Auntie Tofu’ by her neighbors.’”
Wu went on to read several other phrases in which men are given more socially prestigious titles or positions, while women are associated with lower-ranked jobs.
Wu said that the nation’s GDP reached US$130,000 as of last year, “but in the Hakka-learning material, it’s still US$23,000.”
“The Hakka Affairs Council asks for a budget every year to update these materials, but you are not doing a good job of updating it,” Wu added.
Last month the same educational materials also triggered controversy when former premier Yu Shyi-kun (游錫) discovered — amid debates on a no-confidence vote against Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) — that the example cited for the phrase “vote of no-confidence” is “to ensure political stability, we should not call for a ‘no-confidence’ vote.”
Huang promised that the council would review the materials and make changes, especially those that concern gender equality.
Lawmakers across party lines asked the council to turn down a Greater Taichung Government plan to build a tulou (土樓) to represent the Hakka population in the city.
Tulou are circular or square fortress-like residential buildings built by people, mainly Hakka, in the mountainous regions in China’s Fujian Province to protect residents against attacks by bandits. However, such buildings do not exist in Taiwan.
Huang said the council would turn down the city government’s budget request if it proceeds with its plan to build tulou.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
Three tropical depressions yesterday intensified into tropical storms, with one likely to affect Taiwan as a typhoon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The three storms, named Mitag, Ragasa and Neoguri, were designated as storms No. 17 to 19 for this year, the CWA said. Projected routes indicate that Ragasa is most likely to affect Taiwan, it said. As of 2am today, Ragasa was 1,370km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) on the southernmost tip of Taiwan. It was moving west-northwest before turning northwest, slowing from 11kph to 6kph, the agency said. A sea warning for Ragasa is unlikely before Sunday afternoon, but its outer rim
RSS