Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate and current Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) outlined his policies for young people on Wednesday during a forum held by online news organization NOWnews. Lai says he supports the restoration of mandatory military service to one year, but has no plans to extend it further.
Lai adds that he wants young people to truly benefit from their military service rather than simply engaging in busy work like pulling weeds or practicing bayonetting. Lai also says he supports the establishment of a constitutional amendment committee in the Legislature. His proposed constitutional changes include lowering the voting age to 18 and abolishing two of Taiwan’s five branches of government: the Examination Yuan and the Control Yuan.
In response to a question regarding whether he would give regular national addresses to the Legislature on the state of the nation, Lai said it is not mandated by the constitution, and that the president must be invited by the Legislature. However, he says he would gladly fulfill such a duty as president if he were to receive an invitation from the Legislature.
Lai was also asked questions by the labor organization Taiwan Labor Front. The organization says there is a worker shortage in Taiwan. They say that Taiwanese companies, such as in the hotel industry, are calling for increases in migrant workers rather than raising salaries to attract local workers. In response, Lai said that future listed companies should adopt a minimum salary review system, and should pay their employees a minimum salary of NT$30,000 (US$935) per month. Lai says such a system would encourage companies in high-value industries to improve working conditions and pay.