A proposal to abolish the recently promulgated Act Promoting Development for Strong Generation Policies and Industries (壯世代政策與產業發展促進法) was approved for committee review by the Legislative Yuan this morning.
The act was heavily promoted by former Taiwan People’s Party legislator Wu Chun-cheng (吳春城), who resigned from his post at the end of last month over conflicts of interest related to the bill.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) is leading the proposal to abolish the act.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
The proposal claims that the term “strong generation” does not align with internationally or domestically established generational categories and could result in overlapping government policies.
The act defines the “strong generation” as those aged 55 or older with the ability and willingness to work, and stipulates that the government is responsible for putting in place policies to help that generation lead a better life.
There is little research or precedent internationally or domestically that supports a generational divide at the age of 55, the proposal said.
Policies by the UN and International Labour Organization (ILO) define those aged 45 to 65 as middle-aged and those 65 and over as elderly, it said.
International organizations and major countries have never used the term “strong generation” or defined those aged 55 and older as a distinct generation, the proposal said.
In addition, Taiwan has previously implemented legislation that promotes the employment and quality of life of the middle-aged and elderly generations, it said.
For example, the Middle-aged and Elderly Employment Promotion Act (中高齡者及高齡者就業促進法) was promulgated in 2019.
The Executive Yuan also revised Taiwan’s white paper on its aging society in 2021, and proposed a plan to respond to the challenges of a super-aging society based on it, the proposal said.
The definitions of the middle-aged and elderly generations in these policies align with those of the UN and ILO, the proposal said, emphasizing that these definitions differ from the “strong generation.”
The term “strong generation” does not connect with international standards and would therefore be challenging for the Executive Yuan to implement, the proposal said, adding that Taiwanese society does not have a common understanding of the term, making it easy to confuse with existing concepts.
The act should be abolished to prevent redundant administrative work, uphold the multicultural diversity of public terminology and eliminate concerns over potential misuse of the term by individuals with ulterior motives, it said.
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