The government should work to keep regulations apace with other nations in light of changing trends around the world in regards to the work environment, Minister Without Portfolio Audrey Tang (唐鳳) said.
Tang said in a Facebook post that she is preparing a platform that would help civil servants participate in the discussion of public policy while maintaining a certain degree of anonymity.
Civil servants would be able to leave online comments using their nicknames, Tang said.
They would be able to tender their proposals to the government in any of the five stages of submission, examination, support, discussion and response, Tang said, adding that government agencies could also ask for policy consultation through the three stages of public announcement, request for a consultation and response.
Separately, Tang said she supported the government’s efforts to promote digitization at the Global Trade Forum held on Thursday.
Tang said the government has extended the period of advanced notification for considering draft acts or amendments from between seven and 14 days to 60 days to allow for full discussion.
Tang cited the draft innovative financial technology experiment act; the draft digital communication and broadcasting act and the draft act for the hiring of foreign experts and talents as examples of legislation that has been formulated by public discussion.
The trend of digital nomads — people who work remotely on their laptops and move around every few months — has shown that work can be done anywhere there is an Internet connection, Tang said.
The digital era has caused the relationship between employers and employees to change, but laws in Taiwan have been unable to keep up, she said, adding that many Asian nations are adapting to the trend, especially Singapore.
Many entrepreneurs have been unable to express their doubts or questions on policies due to the short notification period, Tang said, adding that if the amendment passes the legislature the entrepreneurs would have more time to formulate their responses.
The government takes the suggestions seriously and makes changes to policies accordingly, she said.
The draft digital economy and draft digital information acts, as well as other regulations regarding commerce and trade, would be open for discussion, Tang said, adding that the government would be obliged to respond to all opinions expressed during the 60-day period.
The system would be used for important issues, such as policies related to the sharing economy or self-driving cars, much like the Uber case, Tang said, adding that people will be given a platform to express themselves and their opinions will be taken into consideration.
A group of Taiwanese-American and Tibetan-American students at Harvard University on Saturday disrupted Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng’s (謝鋒) speech at the school, accusing him of being responsible for numerous human rights violations. Four students — two Taiwanese Americans and two from Tibet — held up banners inside a conference hall where Xie was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the Harvard Kennedy School China Conference 2024. In a video clip provided by the Coalition of Students Resisting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), Taiwanese-American Cosette Wu (吳亭樺) and Tibetan-American Tsering Yangchen are seen holding banners that together read:
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