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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Han plans cheap loans, shared housing
Democratic Progressive Party caucus director-general Kuan Bi-ling, front row in glasses, speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Peng Wan-hsin, Taipei Times
SLIPUP: While unveiling the strategies he would implement if elected president, Han had to apologize after comparing migrant workers to ‘a bunch of chickens’
By Ann Maxon and Jason Pan / Staff reporters
Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu’s （韓國瑜） presidential campaign team yesterday said that, if elected president, he would promote low-interest loans and shared housing for young and elderly people to boost the nation’s birthrate.
Han and his team unveiled the policy plans at the Chinese Nationalist Party’s （KMT） Kaohsiung chapter headquarters during the mayor’s lunch break.
The nation’s low birthrate is caused by the poor economy and uncertainty over the nation’s safety, Han’s social welfare policy adviser, former minister without portfolio Joyce Feng （馮燕） said.
To encourage young people to have children and pursue their dream careers, Han would work with banks to offer low-interest loans, she said.
While banks generally view young people as having a higher credit risk, a central government run by Han would help shoulder that risk by allocating NT$10 billion （US$318.05 million） to support young borrowers, she said, adding that the budget would come from the Ministry of Labor’s employment security fund.
Borrowers would be allowed to pay a low interest rate in the first 10 years, she said.
If elected, Han would also promote shared housing, Feng said.
This would be done by providing renovation subsidies to owners of old houses who are willing to rent part of their homes to young couples with children, she said, adding that similar programs designed by non-governmental organizations have already been successful in New Taipei City.
To curb the nation’s brain drain, Han plans to reorganize subsidies to keep young talent in Taiwan, she said.
The policies to address the declining birthrate are “highly viable,” Han said, adding that a shared housing program for young and elderly people would be launched in Kaohsiung in November.
Discussing the brain drain and the increasing number of migrant workers in Taiwan, Han said: “All the phoenixes have flown away, while a bunch of chickens are moving in.”
Feng immediately corrected Han.
“You should not say that. It is not right to discriminate. Laborers are also people,” she said.
Han then asked for forgiveness, saying that he meant that the nation needs more phoenixes and he “spoke too fast.”
“I thought about chicken because I was born in the Year of the Rooster. I did not mean it any other way,” he said. “I understand there are different types of talent and different workforces.”
“Han compared phoenixes to chickens, which shows his discrimination against migrant workers. It is the KMT’s same old superior attitude of Chinese imperial power … they look down upon the people of Southeast Asia,” Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） spokewoman Hsueh Cheng-yi （薛呈懿） said.
The Taiwan Radical Wings party also released a statement denouncing Han.
“His words have tarnished Taiwan’s international reputation... It is prejudice against people of other nations. Han is not fit to be a city mayor, let alone president,” it read.
Regarding Han’s proposed policies for young people, DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling （管碧玲） said it would push them further into debt.
“This program will land people in more debt, burdening them with further student loans, business loans and other payments. It is deluding them by providing them with a pot of money to spend, when it is actually a debt-generating policy,” she said.
Compared with the hollow slogans and untenable proposals by Han and his advisers, the DPP had already implemented financial incentives for newlyweds, tax reductions, rent relief and other programs for affordable housing, DPP Legislator Ho Chih-wei （何志偉） said.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
