The Presidential Office should be relocated to Tainan to balance the nation’s development, Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, as he argued for the relocation of multiple central government agencies from Taipei to other areas.
Lai outlined a blueprint for national development at a news conference in Tainan, saying that to solve the nation’s uneven north-south development, the administration of president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) should place its economic, administrative and political centers in the nation’s northern, central and southern regions respectively.
Lai, of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was yesterday joined by Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), also of the DPP, who at a separate event in Taichung said that the Tsai administration should consider moving the Legislative Yuan to his city.
The DPP should not become “prideful” from its electoral victories on Saturday, but instead “rule with humility,” Lai said, calling on five recently elected lawmakers representing Tainan to help “supervise the government” and ensure the realization of Tsai’s campaign promises to develop Tainan.
Specifically, Lai listed Tsai’s proposals to establish in Tainan a southern branch of the Academia Sinica, a green energy technology park, an exhibition center and a southern branch of the National Central Library as key goals for the city government.
Lai also called on Tsai’s future administration to relocate the Executive Yuan’s “vagrant ministries” to southern Taiwan, including moving the Ministry of Labor to Kaohsiung and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs to Tainan, and to consider a southern location for the Environmental Protection Administration, which Lai said would help save billions of New Taiwan dollars in rent.
Lai said the Presidential Office should be relocated to his city, citing the historic example of the Republic of Formosa, which in 1895 established its capital in Tainan.
The north should continue to develop as the nation’s “economic center,” while the “administrative center” comprised of the Executive Yuan and Legislative Yuan should be located in the center and the “political center” moved to the south, he said, adding that the scheme would “strike a balance in development through the three centers.”
Moving government agencies and the Presidential Office to the south are programs he had “consistently proposed as a legislator,” and not something that was conceived for Tsai’s presidency, Lai said.
“The high-speed rail turned Taiwan into a single-day commute metropolitan area, and communication between the three centers should not raise any concerns,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lin said that Tsai, upon assuming office, should relocate the Legislative Yuan to Taichung in the interests of balanced national development.
According to Lin, all five branches of the central government and an overwhelming majority of agencies are based in Taipei, which is disadvantageous due to the amount of rent the government must pay to Taipei and from a national security perspective.
Relocating the legislature to Taichung would save the central government money and reduce national security risks, with the added benefit of having the nation’s representative body closer to Taiwan’s geographic center, he said, adding that the Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council is already in Taichung, and that previous talks to move the Legislative Yuan to a cheaper location in Taipei had gone nowhere because of high rent in the capital.
Lin also expressed his optimism toward working with the Tsai administration, saying: “The relationship between the central and local governments is two-way. The new government and legislature will immensely aid central-local cooperation.”
Tsai’s “five social stability projects” — providing affordable housing, safe food products, community-based care, improving the fiscal health of welfare programs and ensuring public safety — are similar to his vision for Taichung, Lin said, adding that Tsai’s national program would complement his plans.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
RSS