DPP candidate Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) announced a number of election policies yesterday aimed at attracting Hakka voters to support his bid for the presidency, while using the occasion to suggest that KMT and independent heavyweights would be invited to join a coalition government if he is elected in March.
Publicizing his "Hakka policy white paper" yesterday morning in Hsinchu County -- where many Hakka people live -- Chen reaffirmed that he thinks the cabinet should set up a Hakka Affairs Commission to take responsibility for preserving the Hakka culture.
He also said the government should draft a law to protect what he said was the "equality of all national languages."
Accompanied by several well-known Hakka leaders, Chen said, "the problem of the loss of Hakka culture should not be ignored just because some politicians try to persuade people that there is no longer any ethnic discrimination in Taiwan."
"According to some surveys, over 98 percent of Hakka residents can speak Chinese fluently. But half of them, especially those under 40 years old, are not familiar with their mother language," Chen said.
Chen said the ruling KMT had not paid much attention to policies for Hakka residents, adding that he would promote more Hakka leaders to help improve the rights of Hakka residents after being elected.
"Presidential advisor Wu Po-hsiung (
Wu had been among the contenders for the KMT's vice presidential nomination, but the party's presidential candidate, Lien Chan (
But in return to calls for support from independent candidate James Soong (
Hsu is also an independent presidential candidate, after leaving the DPP in May. Fan, meanwhile, has promised to be Hsu's campaign manager.
Members of Chen's campaign staff said yesterday Soong was effectively beaten, due to the scandal surrounding huge amounts of money found in accounts of some of his relatives.
Close advisors said that as a result, some politicians who had originally vowed to campaign for Soong have already shifted their support.
In addition, Chen vowed yesterday to set up a Hakka University television channel, cultural complex and a formal Hakka cultural festival.
"The most important thing is to draw up a law ensuring the equal rights of all national languages, to guarantee language use is without restriction. The educational system should also allow schools to teach different kinds of languages -- such as Taiwanese, Hakka, Aboriginal and Mandarin," Chen said.
Hakka are the second largest ethnic group in Taiwan, making up about 15 percent of the country's population
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