Premier Chen Chien-jen (???) gave his first policy address since taking office on Jan. 31 at the Legislative Yuan Friday outlining the administrative goals of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government.
The legally required presentation was postponed from last Friday when the Legislature began its new session, after opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers blocked the speech as a way of advocating for NT$10,000 (US$327) cash handouts for every citizen instead of NT$6,000 as proposed by the DPP.
After cross-caucus negotiations, Chen was invited to address the Legislature Friday but had to first deliver a written report outlining the Cabinet’s plans to address stagnant wages, needs for long-term care services, challenges facing Taiwan’s energy transition, and shortfalls in the Labor Insurance Fund.
While the report readily identified maladies such as wage stagnation and the Labor Insurance Fund’s ballooning deficit and potential bankruptcy, the premier provided little in way of detailed fixes beyond “incentives” and “subsidies.”
Regarding low salaries, Chen wrote that the government’s long-to-mid-term goal was to attract investments, expedite industrial upgrades, alleviate the financial burden on employees and help people find jobs that fit their educational backgrounds.
Meanwhile, Chen added that the government would continue to subsidize the Labor Insurance Fund after evaluating its finances to ensure that it is sufficient to cover pension commitments.
On long-term care services, the government will encourage local governments to develop “small-scale” and “multifunctional” care facilities at the community level, raise public awareness about how they can avoid succumbing to disabilities, and that care services will be well-balanced and easily accessible, the premier wrote.
In addition, Chen wrote that the government will adhere to the overarching goal of increasing the proportion of “green” energy sources and natural gas in Taiwan’s energy mix while working to cut the use of coal and nuclear energy.
The government will continue to work toward its goal to bring about a “nuclear-free homeland,” and will continue to seal the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei’s Gongliao District, Chen wrote.
Furthermore, the first nuclear reactors at the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant and the Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant have been deactivated, while the second reactor at the Kuosheng Plant, and the first and second reactors at the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant are scheduled to be deactivated next month, in July 2024, and in May 2025, respectively, in accordance with Taiwan’s laws, Chen wrote.
During his oral presentation, Chen pledged to fulfill tasks entrusted to him by President Tsai Ing-wen (???), which include reviewing and revising COVID-19 prevention measures so that people can return to their normal lives.
Other tasks are working to bring about a sound social care system, improving public infrastructure, and pushing for development in the nation’s “six key strategic industries” — information and communication technology, information security, precision healthcare, defense, renewable energy, and wartime necessities.
His Cabinet would review long-term and child care policies, housing-related subsidy programs, student loan subsidies, policies to address the labor shortage, as well as measures to fight crime and improve road safety and information security, Chen said.
Chen added that his Cabinet would continue nurturing the six key strategic industries to enlarge the competitive edge for Taiwan’s technological sectors.
Meanwhile, in a social media post on Feb. 17, shortly after the KMT caucus received Chen’s written report, KMT Legislator Johnny Chiang (???) panned the report as “fawning and trite.”
Chiang highlighted the fact that Chen dedicated six pages to praising the work of his three predecessors in President Tsai Ing-wen’s (???) administration.
Chiang added that the report’s “feel-good” rhetoric did nothing to solve Taiwan’s most pressing social issues, particularly given the absence of detailed policy proposals to address rising house prices, deter drunk driving and stem unemployment.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel