Taipei, Oct. 13 (CNA) Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Friday he would gradually increase central government annual budgets for culture-related projects to promote Taiwan’s cultural content and strengthen protections for those who work in the sector.
Lai, who is also vice president, told a press conference that if elected president in January, he would make sure that government funding for culture would gradually increase year by year, but declined to give a target percentage increase when asked to do so by a reporter.
Instead Lai said he would first set some goals and make sure there is enough funding to achieving those goals, though he also provided no details about where the funding would come from.
The central government general budget plan for fiscal year 2023 includes spending of NT$31.1 billion (US$964.9 million), or 1.2 percent of the total on culture, according to data from the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics.
Proposed spending on culture for the next year, which is still being reviewed by the Legislature, is NT$39.3 billion, or 1.4 percent of the total, representing a year-on-year increase of NT$8.2 billion, the data shows.
With that in mind, Lai proposed eight goals he said his administration would strive to achieve, including better protecting the rights of people working in the arts and cultural sectors by providing loans and emergency assistance, expanding access to insurance, and boosting intellectual property rights.
At the same time, he pledged to promote a more balanced, equal and safe work environment for cultural workers, although he did not elaborate on how he would accomplish those goals.
The vice president also said he would pour government resources into promoting Taiwan’s cultural content in audiovisual, music, graphic and manga, design and gaming industries.
The aim is to brand Taiwan as a culture powerhouse, he said, adding that his administration would also encourage investment from overseas stakeholders by providing tax deductions.
In addition, the government will work to strengthen the role of public broadcasters and promote them internationally in a bid to increase Taiwan’s visibility, Lai said.
Although Taiwan boasts democratic values and industrial development, all too often other countries have come to know Taiwan through the perspective of others, Lai added.
He went on to say that public broadcasters in the country should take on more responsibility to show the world what Taiwan is like.
The press conference was attended by more than 150 cultural workers and policy advisors in a show of support.
Among them were renowned Taiwanese opera performer Liao Chiung-chih (廖瓊枝), well-known glove puppeteer Chen Hsi-huang (陳錫煌), as well as award-winning poets and writers Wu Sheng (吳晟) and Lu Ping (路平), who is better known as Ping Lu (平路).
