TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The founder of the Forward Alliance (壯闊台灣聯盟) on Monday (Oct. 22) criticized the use of societal security issues as a political bargaining chip.
Enoch Wu (吳怡農), the founder of the a Taiwanese national security and civil defense think tank, made the comments after Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯), a Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) legislator, questioned the National Fire Agency's (消防署) "Tactical Emergency Casualty Care Course Manual" (TECC), alleging it contained battlefield knowledge.
Hsu further alleged the author of the manual has close ties with the Forward Alliance. However, Wu expressed frustration with the legislator, accusing her of insufficient research. He remarked that the TECC focuses on tactical emergency casualty care and emphasized that Forward Alliance, established in 2020, aims to promote trauma first aid.
Wu accused KMT legislators of fear-mongering, stating that political maneuvers should not involve societal safety. Wu also decried the Ministry of Education's (MOE, 教育部) decision to stop using a controversial "youth service consent form."
He identified the core issue as the overreach of the Civil Defense Act (民防法) and advocated for a focus on humanitarian aid during large-scale disasters. Wu argued that the Civil Defense Act should return to its essence, with training and planning centered on protecting the public.