Economy

Ma vows to tackle Taiwan’s wealth gap

ROC President Ma Ying-jeou (left) and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus are all smiles at the Presidential Office Aug. 15 in Taipei City. (CNA)

• Publication Date：08/16/2012
• Source： Taiwan Today
• By  Meg Chang

ROC President Ma Ying-jeou said Aug. 15 that narrowing Taiwan’s wealth gap is a top priority for his administration, with no effort spared in achieving greater equality for all.

“Although the wealth divide in Taiwan is among the smallest in the Asia-Pacific region, the government is mapping out social welfare and job creation programs to ensure the country’s economic growth is evenly felt,” Ma said.

The president made the remarks during a meeting with 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohammad Yunus at the Presidential Office in Taipei City.

Yunus, a renowned philanthropist who started the Grameen Bank project in 1976 to help the poor in Bangladesh, is visiting Taiwan to deliver a keynote address at a privately sponsored forum.

“Over the past six decades, many of the ROC government’s economic policies incorporated the same approach as Grameen Bank,” Ma said.

“For example, the Small and Medium Enterprise Credit Guarantee Fund guaranteed more than NT$1 trillion (US$33.33 billion) in bank loans to the country’s SMEs, spurring exponential growth.”

The president commended Grameen Bank for its groundbreaking practices and urged Yunus to continue striving to achieve his praiseworthy social business goals. (JSM)

Write to Meg Chang at sfchang@mail.mofa.gov.tw