More than 60 percent of the public does not understand what the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program is and a majority do not believe it would improve the economy, a recent poll said.
The poll was conducted by Hsing Wu University for the Grassroots Influence Foundation from June 12 to Tuesday last week, with 1,155 valid samples and a 3 percent margin of error.
According to the survey, 60.86 percent of respondents said they are mostly uninformed or completely uninformed about the government’s infrastructure plan, and 51 percent said it would not improve the economy.
Another 44.07 percent said they do not believe the infrastructure program would help balance the nation’s rural and urban economies, and 47.18 percent said the plan was “not forward-looking enough.”
The poll found 48.31 percent of respondents are opposed to using half of its budget to build light railways, with 58.52 percent saying light rail projects are wasteful.
Although 40.43 percent said they believe the distribution of infrastructure funds is non-partisan, 48.74 percent said the plan rewards Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) loyalists.
Demographic analysis of the poll showed that older respondents were more likely to understand the infrastructure plan and were also more likely to have negative views of it.
Better-educated respondents were more likely to be concerned about the plan being wasteful or a reward for DPP loyalists, the poll said.
Taichung, and Changhua and Nantou county residents were most likely to have negative views of the light rail plans or the infrastructure plan as a whole, while Kaohsiung, and Pingtung County residents are most likely to have a favorable view, it said.
“The poll suggests that instead of trying to expedite its passage through the legislature, the government should withdraw its NT$882.49 billion (US$28.9 billion) infrastructure plan for revision. It needs to improve its planning and communication so the public can understand it. The government needs to re-evaluate plan’s goals to avoid waste,” the foundation said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it