Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday touted the government’s programs for families at the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Taiwan Women Leadership Forum in Chiayi County’s Taibao City (太保).
Organizers from the party’s department of women’s affairs said that more than 200 women attended forum, which started on Friday and was designed to help prepare volunteers for the Nov. 26 local elections.
About one-third of them are “new Taiwanese,” women from other countries who now live in Taiwan, they said.
Photo courtesy of the Democratic Progressive Party via CNA
Su said that under President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the government has implemented policies to increase support for women and families, including raising wages, cutting taxes and providing rental subsidies.
He said that the government had also allocated NT$80 billion (US$2.67 billion) to support new families and help boost the nation’s birthrate, including funding for fertility treatments.
“These efforts have achieved good results, with 260,000 families receiving assistance and 2,400 more babies born in Taiwan,” he said, adding that the government also “fulfilled its goal to install air conditioners in classrooms at all 3,369 public elementary and junior-high schools.”
“Despite worldwide trade being hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan’s economy grew 6.57 percent last year, which is a record high in the past 11 years. Our government is on the right track, doing the right thing and doing it well, while working to take care of every family,” he said.
Hsu Chia-tien (許嘉恬), head of the department of women’s affairs, said that Taiwan is ranked No. 1 for gender equality in Asia, while “women power” has played an important part in Taiwanese politics.
“We have about 70 ‘new Taiwanese’ women at this forum, mainly from Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and China,” Hsu said.
The forum includes seminars for educating and training participants on woman empowerment issues, how to deal with China’s online propaganda and “cognitive warfare,” and working on campaign literature and social media platforms, Hsu said.
Attendee Nguyen Li Hau said she received support from the Ministry of Labor to open a beauty salon in Yunlin County, and after following Taiwanese politics for more than 20 years since emigrating from Vietnam, she decided to get involved.
“I saw that the DPP was looking for newcomers and has implemented new immigrant-friendly policies over the years,” she said.
She volunteered to support Tsai and DPP candidates in the 2020 election, when she was chairwoman of Yunlin County’s “New Immigrant” campaign team.
“This time I will help canvass for Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國), the DPP’s Yunlin County commissioner candidate,” she said.
Wang Lingfong (王翎鳳), a forum attendee originally from China who now lives in Hsinchu County, said she identified with the DPP’s democratic values.
“I have been involved in the local community for a long time, in rebuilding and service programs, then I found I closely identify with the DPP’s localization and democratic values. So I am willing to stand up to assist in campaigning for the DPP’s candidates,” she said.
Chiayi County Commissioner Weng Chang-liang (翁章梁) talked about his accomplishments at the forum, including plans to upgrade the county’s agricultural and industrial sectors, along with more programs for underprivileged residents, converting abandoned schools and buildings into care and recreation centers for older Taiwanese, and more funding for service centers for people with disabilities.
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