Following the DPP's Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and the KMT's Lien Chan (連戰), independent presidential candidate James Soong (宋楚瑜) yesterday presented a list of campaign promises in support of women's welfare, while introducing his women's campaign group, the Wan-shui Women's Association (萬水婦女聯誼會).
Nearly 2,000 women supporters participated in the event and vowed to solicit votes for Soong's campaign, a large number for a campaign group, said critics.
An enthusiastic welcome was given to the women's campaign group yesterday, who were all dressed in red uniforms and pink scarves, while Soong presented a flag for the association to his wife Chen Wan-shui (陳萬水),who chairs the campaign group.
Unveiling his policy on women's issues, Soong made four promises, saying if elected, he and his running mate Chang Chao-hsiung (張昭雄) will accelerate legislation for all women-related amendments and laws, including the marriage and kinship laws in the Civil Law.
Secondly, he said, women will constitute at least 25 percent of high-level officials, including Cabinet and Control Yuan members, and legislators.
Third, he said, governmental budgets used for women's programs will be separated from those earmarked for children and senior welfare, making more room for women's welfare.
The fourth promise was that gender-equality education would be carried out effectively.
"Small things for women could be major things for the country, and we will promote and popularize the nursing leave system for women, giving them more career choices," he said.
Like Chen Shui-bian, Soong also recruited women scholars and feminist leaders into his policy think tank.
Yi Ching-chuan (伊慶春), a sociology professor at Academia Sinica, was the main author of Soong's white paper on women.
Shih Chih-ching (施寄青), a feminist and leader of a divorced women's assistance group, the Wan-ching association (晚晴協會) also appeared at yesterday's meeting.
Shih declared her candidacy for presidential election four years ago, but was unable to gather enough signatures to place her name on the ballot.
Although Soong's promises for women are not that different from those presented earlier by the other two major candidates, he seems to have an impressive number of women supporters, said one feminist activist.
The Wanshui women's association now has branches in 25 counties and cities, and a growing number of members, presently numbering around 10,000.
Without the nation-wide organizational force of the KMT's Department of Women's Affairs (婦工會), it is impressive that so many women were mobilized by Soong's camp, said the activist, who preferred to remain anonymous.
Soong also claims a number of women supporters from Aboriginal tribes. Dozens of Paiwan women in Pingtung County traveled to Taipei to join the launch meeting.
"Aborigines in Pingtung all support Governor Soong," a supporter said.
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