Social Democratic Party (SDP) founder and National Taiwan University professor Fan Yun (范雲) on Sunday criticized both the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party, saying the two major parties differed little in their pro-business policies, including tax deductions for select industries and land seizures to establish industrial parks.
“The party’s aim is to incubate solidarity among all salaried employees and underprivileged people,” Fan said, adding that Taiwanese society has long suffered from economic policies that have solely benefited large businesses and a privileged few.
Founded by veteran social activists, the nascent center-left party also aims to bring social advocacy and human rights into the realm of mainstream politics.
The party’s platform focuses on five main aspects — raising wages for salaried employees, reform to the national pensions system, increasing taxes for the wealthy, transparency in politics and promotion of social diversity.
Two SDP candidates announced their intention to enter next year’s legislative contests during the party’s inaugural event on Sunday.
Attorney and women’s rights advocate Lee Yen-jong (李晏榕) announced her bid to represent Taipei’s Zhongshan (中山) and Songshan (松山) districts.
SDP Secretary-General Urda Yen (嚴婉玲) also confirmed her intention to run on the SDP ticket, although she remains undecided as to whether she would compete for a legislative district or represent the SDP on its legislator-at-large list.
Lee said she was joining the race to reform the nation’s social welfare system, saying that her experiences as a social worker and later as a lawyer have helped her empathize with the “institutionalized discrimination” that underprivileged groups endure — including victims of domestic violence and spouses from Southeast Asian nations.
Yen, a doctoral student in Taiwanese history at National Chengchi University and a former spokesperson for the Economic Democratic Union, is known as a vocal critic of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) cross-strait policies.
Yen played a leading role in the Wild Strawberries movement in 2008 — in which thousands of protesters accused the government of quenching dissent using police brutality during a visit from a delegation of Chinese officials.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
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