Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) yesterday reiterated his call for the government to hand out cash to all Taiwanese as a COVID-19 relief measure, following reports that the government is planning to issue paper and digital stimulus vouchers.
The KMT has since last month urged the government to give NT$10,000 to every Taiwanese.
The Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) yesterday cited an anonymous Executive Yuan official as saying that the body plans to issue stimulus vouchers as early as November.
The vouchers are expected to be modeled after the Triple Stimulus Vouchers issued in July last year, but there were no plans to give people cash, the report said.
Asked about the measure, Chiang said in a video that a universal cash handout policy would be “fast, convenient and effective, with a low cost and high benefit.”
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should consider making cash payments to all Taiwanese, he said.
“Do not create ‘relief orphans’ because of social conditions, such as the digital divide, or other differences in background and environment,” he said, using a term used by critics to refer to people who were not included in government COVID-19 relief programs.
There are “only good or bad” COVID-19 prevention and relief policies, and not “blue or green” ones, he said, referring to Taiwan’s pan-blue and pan-green political camps.
As the ruling party, the DPP should not “oppose for the sake of opposing” the KMT’s proposals, he said.
In other news, the KMT Central Standing Committee is on Wednesday expected to discuss rescheduling the KMT chairperson election, which was scheduled to take place on Saturday, but was postponed due to a local COVID-19 outbreak.
The KMT has said that the committee, which meets every Wednesday, would discuss election arrangements at its first meeting following the lowering of a nationwide COVID-19 alert level.
The level 3 alert expires tomorrow and a level 2 alert is to be in effect until Aug. 9.
The KMT would ensure that the democratic process within the party is carried out in compliance with COVID-19 regulations, said Chiang, who is seeking re-election.
Additional reporting by CNA
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