KMT presidential candidate promises to raise basic wage to NT$30,000 per month if elected

 KMT presidential candidate promises to raise basic wage to NT$30,000 per month if elected

Kuomintang presidential candidate Eric Chu has offered a three-point strategy, including raising the nation’s minimum wage to NT$30,000 from NT$20,008, to improve Taiwan’s lackluster economy and international status, during his run-up to the 2016 presidential election.

In a televised debate on Sunday, Chu said his three-point strategy – a part of his campaign platform -- also includes narrowing the wealth gap and galvanizing a public consensus to expand Taiwan’s international presence.

He stressed Taiwan is at a critical moment to survive economically and internationally. He pledged to use this strategy to “turn Taiwan around.”

Admitting that the KMT has not done well enough over the past eight years, Chu said he will adopt open and active policies on the right direction if elected president.

The strategy he introduced includes raising the basic wage to NT$22,200 from NT$20,008 per month during his first year in office and to NT$30,000 within four years.

He said when Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party was president between 2000 and 2008, his government only raised the basic wage once. Since Ma Ying-jeou of the KMT became president in 2008, he has raised the basic wages for five times. But because the adjustment levels were not big, the public were not satisfied and thought the Ma government did not do well enough.

Describing the currently low basic wage as a “national shame,” Chu said it is highly necessary to raise the minimum wage, which actually could help push transformation of Taiwan’s industry, thereby lifting its economy. He said there is also a need for Taiwan to adopt an open-door policy and turn itself into “the island of free economy” to attract more foreign investments and join regional trade blocs.

He said there is also an urgent need to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor in order to create a harmonious society, which could help uphold internal stability of Taiwan.

To do so, he proposed to impose higher tax on the top 1% of the people in Taiwan and use the revenue to support tax reduction for the lower class and middle class people and take care of the low-income group.

To expand Taiwan’s international living space, Chu pledged to seek cooperation with the mainland to create a win-win situation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait under the “1992 consensus.” Increase of mutual trust is a must to achieve this, Chu said, adding only when the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are able to respect and trust each other more will Taiwan be able to largely expand its international presence.

He said he will strive to institutionalize meetings between leaders of both sides of the Taiwan Strait to increase mutual trust and help expand Taiwan’s international living space.

Chu said the “1992 consensus” and “one China, different interpretations” is the underlying foundation of a stable cross-strait status quo. The ambiguous position of his DPP opponent Tsai Ing-wen on the consensus is “highly dangerous to Taiwan.”

He criticized Tsai for often flip-flopping in many ways. On the one hand, the DPP has slammed the government’s policy of the 18% preferential interest rate enjoyed by military veterans, public functionaries and public school teachers on their pensions. But on the other hand, Tsai herself had taken advantage of such benefits by enjoying the preferential interest rate for a period of time. When she was seeking workers’ vote, she told them they deserved more holidays, but in the face of business tycoons, she said workers enjoyed too many holidays. Other examples include her evasion in explaining her own buying and selling properties but attacking others for doing so.

Unlike what Tsai has said she aims for unity of Taiwan, what the DPP has done in the past eight years is to destroy Taiwan’s unity, including its boycotts with violence of many legislative reviews and its occupation of the podium in the legislature, Chu noted.

Chu said he grew up in a rural area and is grateful to the previous generation which made him what he is now. He said he believes the next generations deserve a better future.

The KMT presidential candidate said there is only one Taiwan, and all people here should unite and work together to get back the Taiwan that used to fill with positive force.

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