Vast regional disparities deprive many people who live outside of Taipei of access to public services, according to a report published by Taiwan Inversion, a new activist movement that aims to raise the quality of electoral politics.
Members urged candidates in the Nov. 29 nine-in-one elections to address the issue and presented statistics that showed regional disparities in five categories of public services: medical resources, running water, public transportation, public childcare and assistance for low-income or unemployed residents.
The group described the report as the first step in what it expects to be a prolonged campaign to perform what it described as an “inversion” of Taiwanese electoral politics — reform directed toward what the activists see as long-term malpractice ingrained in the nation’s political culture.
High among the perceived shortcomings the movement decries are what members say is a lack of debate on substantive policies, as well as what they see as the monopoly of local elections by hereditary political factions.
In the report, Taipei scored the highest in terms of medical resources, with 36 doctors for every 10,000 residents. Several counties, including Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taitung and Yunlin, tallied just a third of that ratio, while Kinmen came in last with 16.
Contrasts were especially pronounced in public transportation, with the national carrying capacity averaging at only one-fifth of Taipei’s, including 10 counties that had the equivalent of less than 3 percent of Taipei’s mass transit capacity.
The capital was also found to provide better public childcare services and more financial assistance for low-income residents, while handing out more subsidies for unemployed residents, the report said.
Human rights lawyer Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強), one of the leaders of the movement, had previously alleged problems in the nation’s administrative system, saying that a majority of funding is allocated to Taipei and other special municipalities, while leaving smaller counties and cities without resources.
Lai said yesterday that regional disparities have effectively turned Taiwan into a nation of “one country, two systems,” with residents in remote areas demoted to being “third-class citizens.”
Activists from the movement have demanded that electoral candidates draft proposals for administrative and financial reform.
The movement also encouraged debate on the merger of smaller counties and administrative upgrading to special municipalities.
Urda Yen (嚴婉玲), one of the initiators of the movement, said the activists have already delivered their message to all mayoral and county candidates running in the Nov. 29 elections.
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