President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of October 13 at the Presidential Office met with disabled Swedish artist Lena Maria Klingvall. The president expressed his appreciation to Ms. Klingvall for accepting an invitation to come to Taiwan to participate in the nation's centenary festivities, and also said he deeply admires the perseverance that Ms. Klingvall has demonstrated throughout her life.
The president stated that Ms. Klingvall has achieved much throughout her life. She graduated from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and then at the age of 18 won two gold medals at a global swimming competition for the disabled, setting new world records in the process. President Ma noted that Ms. Klingvall is particularly skilled in singing, painting, and cooking. Even more important, he said, she regularly travels around the world to share her personal experience, spread compassion, and encourage other mentally and physically challenged individuals.
President Ma stated that Ms. Klingvall in 2008 was decorated by Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf, and this year she was awarded the “Business Woman of the Year” from Business and Professional Women, Sweden. The president said that despite being awarded a number of honors, Ms. Klingvall remains an extremely humble person, sharing the passion for life with her friends.
The president noted that Ms. Klingvall's accomplishments demonstrate the advanced state of Sweden's social services policies. That nation, he said, is willing to provide ample resources to work in the interests of mentally and physically challenged individuals, enabling each individual to develop his or her talents to their fullest. Consequently, the president stated that in addition to Ms. Klingvall's efforts, government policy and a proper legal framework are extremely important in achieving this objective.
President Ma recognized that Taiwan has much room to progress in terms of caring for disabled persons and in creating a barrier-free environment. The government, he said, is continuing to make many efforts in this direction. He pointed to the Act to Protect the Interests of Persons with Disabilities as one example. At present, government agencies employing more than 34 people are required to hire disabled persons amounting to at least 3% of their workforce, while private organizations with more than 67 employees must ensure that disabled employees make up at least 1% of their staff. The president said that we have already far exceeded the standards set forth in the legislation. In addition, in order to provide assistance to disabled persons and senior citizens, the president mentioned that during his tenure as Taipei City mayor he worked actively to promote Rehab Bus services for these individuals. Nowadays, cities and counties throughout Taiwan are paying more and more attention to this issue, he said.
President Ma stated that he personally designated Ms. Klingvall as an honorary citizen of Taipei when he was mayor of the city. He said that she has consistently been a good friend to the ROC, and he furthermore expressed his hopes that her visit to Taiwan will help to further boost friendship between the two nations.
Ms. Klingvall was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ssu-Tsun Shen (沈斯淳) and Head of Swedish Trade Council in Taiwan Jens Wernborg to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Tung Kuo-yu (董國猷).