Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Karen Yu (余宛如) on Thursday proposed that lawmakers be allowed to bring children under the age of three into the legislative chamber, triggering a mixed reaction from her colleagues, as well as government officials.
DPP Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) tabled an extemporaneous motion yesterday in response to Yu’s proposal, demanding that the Legislative Yuan set up a daycare center for all parents working in the Legislative Yuan compound, including staff, journalists, lawmakers and their assistants.
Tuan said the Legislative Yuan should develop into a “friendly workplace,” and it should carry out childcare policies that the government has urged private businesses to follow based on the Act of Gender Equality in Employment (性別平等法), and set an example and reduce discrimination.
DPP Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) immediately voiced her support for Tuan’s proposal.
Tuan’s motion was a friendly response to Yu, a DPP legislator-at-large who made the amendment proposal that has since stirred debate both in the legislature and on the Internet.
The regulations governing the legislative general assembly chamber states that no one other than chamber staff and government officials and their assistants are allowed into the general assembly chamber. Yu has proposed amending the regulations to exempt lawmakers and officials “with children under three who need care and breastfeeding” from the rule.
Her draft amendment was supported in signature by more than a dozen lawmakers — including Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) and New Power Party Legislator Kawlo Iyun Pacidal — and passed the first reading yesterday.
Yu made her first appearance in the Legislative Yuan on Feb. 1, when the first session of the new legislature convened, with her six-month-old child and said it was a pity that she could not bring her child into the chamber.
“This proposal is not for myself, as I have my family’s support in childcare, but what is on my mind is a presumption that the reason that there are so many double-income families who are not planning to have children is not only because of financial pressure, but also the conflicting nature between the working environment and childcare,” Yu said.
“Insofar as the Legislative Yuan is a highly symbolic institution, it should, in my opinion, hold an open attitude [to the measure],” Yu added.
Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) said lawmakers’ proposals reflect society’s different perspectives and would be reviewed by the legislative committee.
“Taiwan is a democratic country and surely the issue could be put into discussion. And it would be up to the legislature for a final decision on whether it is okay” to bring children under three into the chamber, Su said, adding that he would remain neutral in the debate.
However, not everyone is supportive of the idea.
Premier Simon Chang (張善政) said it would be “strange” to bring infants or toddlers to the chamber.
“Imagine you have small children crying or [people] breastfeeding when officials and lawmakers are in the middle of a question-and-answer session. It is strange,” he said.
“I think [Yu’s] idea is really about a childcare mechanism [in the Legislative Yuan], which can be done now, rather than bringing them into the general assembly chamber,” Chang added.
Minister of Justice Luo Ying-shay (羅瑩雪) said “unpredictable situations” would happen if small children, who would “cry, make noise and run around,” are allowed in the chamber.
KMT Legislator Jason Hsu (許毓仁) said it would not be appropriate for small children to be carried into the general assembly chamber, as “the congress hall is a serious place.”
Facebook community Impolite Netizen Group’s organizer yesterday apologized for his “indiscreet remark” made on Thursday upon hearing Yu’s proposal.
He had lambasted Yu for proposing a bill without “necessity” and for the possibility that people would have to watch small children crying in the chamber.
“After a long discussion with a coworker, I suddenly realized that I had made a big mistake by weighing in on the issue on the basis of taxpayers’ money, but this, if passed, would be a good example and have great impact on Taiwanese values in human rights, parents’ rights and women’s rights,” he said.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
RSS