Seriously, guys…(please)…
What would you want to tell a legislator (member of the Legislative Yuan) if you had the chance? Can’t say more here but I’d like to know what y’all would want changed in terms of government/regulations/etc. in Taiwan. I realize this is the open forum but if you could try to answer seriously it would be both useful and refreshing. 
I’d mail it to his family, demanding a large sum of money.
I’d tell him to set tough yearly accident and road death reduction targets to be met by each police department. Failure to achieve these targets would be met with either a) removal from office of top police officers or b) if failure continued, privatisation of the traffic police division. At the moment they are about as useful as eunuchs in a sperm donation center.
I would also tell the dear fellow never to use the term
Ok, sorry about that. Serious suggestions.
Stary with the lines that our President wants to make Taiwan some sort of ‘green silicon island’. He wants to attract foreign professionals. The mayor of Taipei wants to make Taipei an ‘international city’.
To do this, they need to create a regulatory environment that is welcoming to foreigners. As it stands it seems more like the opposite is the case. It often seems that unnecessary regulations are invented merely to stop things being to easy. I’m sure you know the list:
Difficulties in getting phone lines
Near impossibility of getting a credit card in your own name
Driver’s licences and credit cards that expire with your ARC
Impossibiltiy of getting store credit
And to create a truly international environment, things need to be easier for people to live here long term:
Permanent residency that is actually permanent
Clearly recognised work rights for long-term residents
The possibility of dual citizenship for ‘foreigners’ as well as ‘Taiwanese’
The possibility of household registration for permanent residents
Brian
Tell him that if the government really wants to make Taiwan into an Asia-Pacific Regional Operations Center, they’ll damn well have to cut their complex, burdensome red tape.
Tell him that it makes no sense to deport foreigners doing volunteer work when they receive no income for it.
Tell him to re-legalize Binlang Beauties.
Tell him to reduce the whopping US$100 visa fee to something reasonable.
[color=violet]Hanyu pinyin[/color]
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Well, for Taiwan:
I’d start out that enforcement for the law is a given. Among other things, that would be police must be empowered, both in terms of political, economic, and technological support. Courts must be independent and professional and follow strict codes of conduct.
For Taipei:
Regulatory schemes that make foreigners welcome. Foreigners/companies should have special incentives provided to encourage more development in this area, rather than let the Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore attract the best and brightest from the West. Perhaps having a special “economic zone” in the many Taipei parks like Neihu or Nangang. Make it friendly to do business in Taiwan, unlike it is now.
This is a big topic but I can say more if you PM me.
As much as I think the rule of law and transparency in Taiwan’s institutions is the key to everything Taiwan wants to accomplish, attempting to bring those things into existence is an exercise in futility.
How about asking for something that may actually be possible.
Equal rights for all the residents of Taiwan would be a good start.
Perhaps getting a bill of rights in the new constitutional reforms that includes all races and nationalities of Taiwan, not just citizens of the R.O.C. as is being proposed
I’d ask for some fava beans and a good Chianti 
I’d tell them that if Taiwan wants to truly internationalize, they will have to give foreign expats equal rights before the law, cut down on the official bureaucracy, and not selectively enforce rules and regulations.
[quote=“Juba”]
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Yes, of course! :bravo:
All traffic related.
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Driving licence requirements and implement a better system so drivers can actually learn something about driving on the road.
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Ask them to consider revamping the ‘I’m first rule’ and bringing themselves more in line with developed countries driving regulations.
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Update their drivers insurance system so they can start advertising how to reduce the risk of accidents and save money that would have been spent on accident victims. It works in Victoria, Australia.
Put more simply.
[color=red]There is a kitty of money from drivers paid in insurance.
Use more of it to advertise how to drive safely.
This directly means spending less on treating the misery of accident victims.[/color]
This can be got underway by sending delegates to other countries to see how its done. Travel can change people;s attitudes.
- Fix the ambulance emergency system and teach all Taiwanese school children and business employees first aid.
There must be 1,000’s die needlessly every year because basic things like applying pressure to a gushing arterial wound are not taught.
End.
Better rights for foreign factory workers and domestic helpers.
A large portion of these, dare I say majority, are treated as slaves.
They sign a contract in the Philipines, pay a whopping fee to their broker (I think it is $100,000NT) for the privilege. When they arrive at the airport they are presented with a second contract which they agree to either NO DAYS off and COMPULSORY OVERTIME or if their lucky they get one sunday off a month. They are presented with this contract by the employer when they step off the plane, often with the threat that if they don’t sign they will be sent straight back home. (Of course they cannot do this, but imagine yourself - arrive in foreign country (not because you wanted an adventure, but because your trying to keep President Gloria (or whoever) in the lifestyle that they’re accustomed to), feelings of sadness leaving family behind, apprehension, nervousness, etc and you get threatened with being sent home, You believe there is a risk of blowing $100,000 NT, plus plane ticket and your already facing poverty, that’s why you came in the first place. The broker pretends to be their friend, but is really on side with the employers (easier to find workers to bring over than to find employers to employ them)
This second contact by Taiwanese law holds sway over the original.
In the case of home carers they are often treated as slaves. In reality they get no time off. They are legally supposed to have their own bedroom, but usually sleep in the same room as children or old and infirm people.
This abuse of human rights is supported by the government, because the second contract BY LAW holds sway over the first.
The next thing would be to get rid of (or adjust) a law that promotes murder. Yes, MURDER.
If a truck driver kills someone in an accident his company will do all the compensating. However, if the person is injured then the truck driver (not the company) has to compensate. So, when a truck driver has an accident he is better off financially if he kills the person rather than maims them. It is common knowledge that many truck drivers will ‘finish the job’. Immediately after the accident the truck driver does not know how badly injured a person is, but if it looks serious they will often keep driving so that the rear wheels also run over the injured person, and I have also heard that sometimes they will even reverse back over the injured person (and then drive over them agian so that the truck is in the ‘right position’ for the accident).
If you think I am exagerating, pose this scenario to your Taiwanese friends.
Just think, you might be the next one that a truck runs over (two or three times!!)
This law is insane!!!
As for general traffic. I don’t really care about people taking traffic laws casually, but I take great exception when people think everyone will stop for them if they pull out, pull over, change lanes, etc. I would love to see more enforcement to prevent this!!
BTW I think Loretta had a similar thread a few months ago.
I’d be inclined to limit my complaints/advice to things unique to foreigners. I can’t think of anything more likely to be counterproductive and pissing off a legislator (well-traveled, Western-educated, presumably not a complete idiot) than foreigners giving advice about how he should run his country – I’d imagine he knows perfectly well the sorry state of the traffic, etc.
Stick to business/work rights/credit/phones and things of that nature.
[quote=“sandman”]I’d be inclined to limit my complaints/advice to things unique to foreigners. I can’t think of anything more likely to be counterproductive and pissing off a legislator (well-traveled, Western-educated, presumably not a complete idiot) than foreigners giving advice about how he should run his country – I’d imagine he knows perfectly well the sorry state of the traffic, etc.
Stick to business/work rights/credit/phones and things of that nature.[/quote]
I was thinking about things that are going to directly kill us and how to fix it.
But, your right. It will just piss them off. Forget all the traffic stuff.
[quote=“sandman”]I’d be inclined to limit my complaints/advice to things unique to foreigners. I can’t think of anything more likely to be counterproductive and pissing off a legislator (well-traveled, Western-educated, presumably not a complete idiot) than foreigners giving advice about how he should run his country – I’d imagine he knows perfectly well the sorry state of the traffic, etc.
Stick to business/work rights/credit/phones and things of that nature.[/quote]
As true as this may be, it’s just as sad. I can’t speak to the ethos of other countries, but the beauty of American culture seems to rest on the idea that we are able to draw from other culture’s mishaps or ideals and implement them with our own. Of course, I have been away for several years, so things may have changed… I don’t think that telling a legislator about what could improve his country, therefore elevating it would piss them off. What pisses TW legislators off here, is the idea that their ‘face’ is being threatened and the fact that this culture has a habit of sabotaging any progress they make. Once these leaders get in their heads that L-E-A-D-E-R-S-H-I-P has more to do with servicing people(and that it CAN be productive) and not grandstanding and making $$$ then TW will be taken seriously. Until then, I guess we have to enjoy the ride…
To set up rules and guidelines of displaying and printing written Chinese language:
Top to bottom, right to left or left to right? (Oftentimes, the words can be read either from left or right and make sense but have totally different meanings.)
Book pages turn from the left or the right? (I’ve had many children’s “bo po mo” and “characters” workbooks that turn from the left but the words inside are top to bottom or from right to left. Most publishers would have the same kind of books opened from the right or left with no good reason or industry guidelines.)
A central agency for standarized translations of foreign language news (especially people’s and places’ names) into Mandarin Chinese?