Taiwanese Parties Clash Over Cash Handout Proposal, Accusations Fly

The campaign team for Lee Chuan-hsiung, a New Taipei mayoral candidate, has accused Su Chiao-hui, a legislator from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), of changing her stance on a proposed universal cash handout of NT$10,000. Lee's campaign spokesperson, Kuo Yin-lan, questioned whether Su had forgotten her previous opposition to such a measure, which she and other DPP legislators had allegedly blocked last year, calling it detrimental to Taiwan.

DPP legislator Lin Chu-yin strongly refuted these claims, accusing Lee's campaign of laziness and misinformation. Lin stated that Lee's team failed to conduct basic online research, citing a Facebook post by Su Chiao-hui that clarified her position. Lin asserted that the DPP and Su have consistently supported universal cash handouts, but only when implemented legally and constitutionally, without exceeding government spending limits or increasing debt.

Lin explained that the DPP's opposition last year was not against the concept of a cash handout itself, but against what they deemed an unconstitutional and overreaching proposal by the opposition parties in the legislature. She highlighted that the current DPP administration has managed the economy effectively, maintaining a balance between revenue and expenditure, which allows for such a distribution of economic benefits to the public under legal and constitutional frameworks.

President Lai Ching-te announced the plan for a NT$10,000 cash handout next year. Lee's campaign seized on this, alleging Su's stance had shifted. Lin countered that this was a deliberate distortion, arguing that Lee's campaign was attempting to cover up the opposition's previous procedural missteps by resorting to baseless accusations. She emphasized that Su's position has remained consistent, and that the public's memory is not as short as Lee's campaign suggests.