Veteran musician Luo Dayou recently criticized former President Tsai Ing-wen and other green camp female politicians for not having children and "not thinking too much about the next generation." Tsai Ing-wen spoke out again today, blaming herself and saying that her eight years as president were not perfect, but she has been reflecting and improving amidst setbacks. "It is an established fact that I do not have children of my own. But this will not change my desire to take care of Taiwan's next generation; nor will I care less about the future of this country just because I have stepped down as president."
Tsai Ing-wen once again posted on social media today that the issue of child-childization is a common challenge faced by many advanced countries, from Japan and South Korea to Europe, and the same is true for Taiwan. During her eight years as president, she promoted many policies, but she still failed to resist the trend of feminization of children.
However, she said that whether or not to have children is everyone's choice. But for families who want to have children and are willing to have children, the government has a responsibility so that they do not have to bear all the pressure alone. She understands how hard it is for young parents to have children, so she has launched various policies such as "The state will raise children from 0 to 6 years old with you", and local governments have continued to follow up and increase their efforts. She also understood the difficulties faced by the "sandwich group" between work and family, so she launched "Long-term Care 2.0", and President Lai Ching-te continued to promote "Long-term Care 3.0".
Tsai Ing-wen said, "I know this is not enough, especially when it comes to housing issues." Therefore, she has also amended laws to curb real estate speculation, introduced rent subsidies, and also introduced policies such as raising basic wages and waiving tuition for high school vocational students, hoping to reduce the living burden of Chinese people. But to this day, housing prices and rents still weigh heavily on many young people. This is where the government must continue to work. In her two terms, she has experienced epidemics, African swine fever, and many domestic and foreign challenges. There have been ups and downs, ups and downs along the way. She would like to thank the people of Taiwan for accompanying the country through many difficulties.
"I must admit that my governance is not perfect and I have made mistakes. Some policies have achieved their goals, and the effects of some policies are not as good as our original expectations." Tsai Ing-wen revealed that she has been reflecting, improving, and adjusting amidst setbacks, adhering to values in difficulties, and trying her best to fulfill her commitments to Taiwan. She knows that the problem of teenage girls will not be solved immediately by introducing a few policies. The government must continue to improve the living, income, childcare, long-term care and workplace environments so that people who want to start a family and raise children can have more confidence in the future.
"And we should also give the same respect to people who choose different paths in life." Tsai Ing-wen finally admitted that she does not have children of her own, which is an established fact. "But this will not change. I want to take care of Taiwan's next generation; nor will I care less about the future of this country just because I have stepped down as president."
