Political talk isn’t my thing, but I’m glad I clicked on this thread because @Gain 's unabashed comments are entertaining me to no end 
. I appreciate the supporting links as well.
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Reminds me of comments about sex. Those talking about fucking ain’t doing a lot of it. The DPP talks a shitload about human rights, especially from people such as their VP candidate, but its rhetoric often doesn’t live up to reality. As the previous post and Kennedy’s comments clearly show (which pre-date Gain’s activism by decades and take the long view 
), this is often a mirage full of foul-smelling shit.
Remember when the head of Taiwan’s Amnesty International used to mention exactly the same thing.
Brian’s Report on Taiwan Human Rights - Legal / Human Rights - Forumosa
In Memory of Brian L. Kennedy – Zhongguo Wu Xue
The Best of Times and the Worst of Times; Criminal Law Reform in Taiwan on JSTOR
If you are not in that category (i.e. you are an aboriginal, a woman, a foreigner, a poor person, a person sans connections or just a regular Taiwanese Joe Six Pack with blue rubber sandals) you could easily be fucked over. Put simply the law, fairness, justice—do not mean a fucking thing in Taiwan.
Gay marriage was a start, but there is so much more to do. Just not sure the inherent conservatism in the DPP rural voters is the way to do that.
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I think that’s a bit disingenuous though because there have been plenty of milestones under current presidency for foreigners.
Gold card program
Pay raises for foreign teaching staff
Pathway to residency for long term migrant workers
At the same time I did read about a speech by presidental candidate from the KMT Hou where he explicitly highlighted the issues new immigrants in Taiwan face
Haven’t heard anything like this from DPP or TPP who seem to only look at it from an economic perspective (addressing Labor shortages)
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In my humble opinion, sometimes it is not just about “me” but about “we.”
I say this because there actually have been quite a few changes made since 2017 helping some (not all) same sex couples and helping some (not all) migrant workers have better paths to residency.
EDIT: Plus what @DogmaticStoic wrote. With the KMT, it seems that helping Chinese folks get here remains a key priority, because of course it is.
Guy
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My hot take: KMT is better for business and their stance on nuclear might help to keep the lights on. But, it’s the Chinese National Party, they care about Chinese folks more to appease the little bear on the other side of the strait. Appeasement never worked though, see WWII.
KO I don’t even want to consider him, entitled useless prick. He just wants for himself.
DPP I think they r at least trying to make some change at a very high level, but their energy policy and some anti-business practices are not very smart imho. Now with this agnostic stance of Lau on nuclear maybe we can still have some AC during summer, but we must come to the realisation that TW without nuclear will just go dark, and we can’t rely on coal and oil that much. Solar and wind power just won’t cut it yet.
As per human rights, the main issue is that the folks who need to adjudge human rights have a very old and conservative view, the main issue for tw imo is its old fart bureaucrats, those must go to have some real change. Gov can legislate as much as they want, but the regulations r written by the bureaucrats, and those r the real world law of the land. As the FSC told me in a closed door meeting, the law says some, yes, but we interpret it otherwise and our word is final as we issue the licence.
There u go.
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The DPP also created the APRC in the 2000s.
The Ma years had the KMT gush over giving numerous benefits to people from Communist China. Absolutely no fucks given to foreigners.
And they’re still doing it.
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How? The economy was garbage from 2008 to 2016.
There was never any electricity shortage in 2023. Not even for 15 mins.
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Wrong
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They’re only ‘better for business’ in the sense that they’ve enabled businesses to exploit workers at workers’ expense, which is actually damaging to the economy as a whole.
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I can concur with u on that.
Disclaimer: I hate the KMT and hate Ko too. But DPP is not all good things, just that.
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But that’s not actually good for business. Economists are largely in agreement that supply side economics, or as Americans call it, trickle down, doesn’t work.
I’ve never said that. I criticise lots to their faces. But in this first past the post system, they’re the best viable option.
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Which parallel universe do you live in?
Plus
- Gold card
- Reduced residency requirements for APRC for local graduates
- Dual citizenship for high level professionals
- Reduced residency requirement to two years for Plum Blossom Card holders when applying for citizenship
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The Ma administration did try to emulate Singapore by setting up the Plum Blossom APRC system. As we know statistically, however, this has had a very limited impact on total numbers.
Guy
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Is this retroactive TO all previously issued APRCs?
Do you have any reference for this?
By the way, I think it’s wrong to have seperate rules for Chinese as well. The government should have proper vetting measures for applicants of course. But once someone is allowed in, they should have equal status in my opinion
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Well. Four years, that they are proposing is less than the five years we’re getting.
They don’t want equal treatment, they want to roll out the red carpet for these enemy aliens.
They are proposing 4 years for mainland spouses of Taiwanese with HHR, right?
It’s only 3 years for foreign spouses of Taiwanese with HHR.
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CKMT has done more for foreigners than any other party, that is absolutely true without any doubt! They bend over backwards to welcome in foreigners. That’s not the issue, the issue is they only do it for one foreign country, which is quite unfair.
If other foreigners got half the welcoming mat they give to Chinese foreigners, we wouldn’t be complaining so much 
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