Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Wu Chun-cheng (吳春城) today denied any conflict of interest over the “strong generation” act that he pushed hard to pass, given that he was the head of the Strong Generation Association, stating he has resigned from the role.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) held a news conference today accusing Wu of having a potential conflict of interest over the Act Promoting Development for Strong Generation Policies and Industries (壯世代政策與產業發展促進法).
Wu continued to serve as head of the Strong Generation Association, which he founded, until last month.
Photo: Taipei Times file photo
They accused Wu of using the association to secure contracts and register trademarks without avoiding conflicts of interest.
The DPP said that Wu used the term “strong generation” to cheat people, using what was originally a well-intentioned initiative for personal gain.
DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said the TPP proposed a budget freeze for 27 items related to the act after passing it, amounting to a total of NT$205 million after the budget freeze passed its third reading.
DPP Legislator Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) said companies, organizations and social enterprises that have ties with Wu had secured government procurements contracts worth a total of more than NT$20 million (US$611,900), citing the government’s procurement website.
New Power Party Chairperson Claire Wang (王婉諭) also said Wu’s family members, including his wife Chang Mei-hui (張美慧), are still holding positions in Jet-Go Consulting Group (戰國策), a well-known public relations company that has lobbied for Douyin (抖音) in the legislature in March last year and assisted in campaigning for anti-gay rights groups in the 2018 referendum on same-sex marriage.
Wu last year declared that Chang held 60,000 shares in Jet-Go Consulting Group, but had not disclosed that Chang is the chairperson of Zhuang Shi Dai Social Enterprise (壯世代社會企業) and holds 100,000 shares in the company, according to business registration information and civil servants’ property declaration information disclosed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Control Yuan.
Zhuang Shi Dai Social Enterprise and Jet-Go Consulting Group both registered their address at Chung Hsiao West Road in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District (中正).
“Has he not crossed the red line of conflict of interest?” Wang asked.
Regarding the budget freeze controversy, Wu said the TPP’s proposal is to urge the administration to execute the act but not cut budgets, so it is a means to communicate instead of pursuing personal gains or containing “malicious” intentions.
Wu said he had resigned from all positions in the association and has no power to make decisions.
Wu recently discussed the matter with the association and made a statement on its behalf.
The association would not participate in any government contracts and the “strong generation” trademark would be made freely available for public welfare purposes, the statement said.
The trademark is meant to ensure that the “strong generation” concept is properly communicated and prevent its commercial exploitation, Wu said.
Trademarking the term was purely for public welfare, not personal interest, and he has not received any related fees for his efforts, Wu said.
Since his book Spring of the Strong Generation was published in 2022, Wu has been committed to encouraging those aged 55 and older to not be limited by their age, Wu said.
His ideas were hailed by former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) in 2023, who invited him to be a legislator for the party, he said.
After joining the Legislative Yuan, Wu promoted the “strong generation” act and ultimately succeeded in getting it passed with the support of all three parties.
The bill defines the “strong generation” as those aged 55 and over with the ability and willingness to work.
It stipulates that the government is responsible for making policies that help the “strong generation” lead a better life.
Wu would work alongside other legislators who care about the “strong generation” to realize the goal of “a strong generation means a strong Taiwan,” he said.
Additional reporting by Fang Wei-li
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
RSS