Lo Mei-ling
Taiwanese politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Loh Meei-ling[1] (Chinese: 羅美玲; pinyin: Luó Měilíng; born 1 May 1969) is a Malaysian-born Taiwanese politician and educator. She was a member of the Nantou County Council from 2014 to 2020, when she was elected to the 10th Legislative Yuan. Lo followed Lin Li-chan as the second immigrant to Taiwan to serve as a member of the Legislative Yuan.
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Independent (2014–2018)
Loh Meei-ling | |
|---|---|
羅美玲 | |
Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of the Legislative Yuan | |
| Assumed office 1 February 2020 | |
| Constituency | Party-list |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 May 1969 |
| Party | Democratic Progressive Party (since 2018) Independent (2014–2018) |
| Education | National Taiwan Normal University (BA) Providence University (MBA) National Changhua University of Education (PhD) |
| Profession | Educator |
Early life and education
Lo was born in Malaysia on 1 May 1969.[2][3] She attended Pay Fong Middle School before immigrating to Taiwan in 1987 to study geography at National Taiwan Normal University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in the subject.[4][5] Lo then earned a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Providence University and a Ph.D. in finance from the National Changhua University of Education.[4] Her doctoral dissertation was titled, "A study of biases in cross-strait primary school textbooks: Taiwan and mainland China" (Chinese: 兩岸小學語文教科書之世界觀研究).[6] She acquired Taiwanese citizenship through marriage to a Taiwanese national.[3][5]
Political career
Lo was elected to the Nantou County Council for the first time in 2014, as a political independent. She joined the Democratic Progressive Party for the 2018 election cycle, and was reelected.[4][5] As a member of the county council, she advocated for the elderly living in low-income households.[7] In November 2019, she was ranked fourth on the DPP party list, and won election to the 10th Legislative Yuan via proportional representation.[2][8]
In May 2020, Lo advocated for stricter laws on fire safety.[9] In November of that year, she founded a coalition to offer support for immigrants to Taiwan.[10] In March 2021, Lo proposed that rescue services operate on a user-pay principle to dissuade unprepared tourists from visiting mountainous areas.[11] In August 2021, she drew attention to suicide rates among adolescents, and advised that the Ministry of Education employ more guidance counselors as part of its suicide prevention efforts.[12] That same month, she held a joint press conference regarding animal welfare and living conditions at pet shops and breeders.[13] In October 2021, Lo proposed a basic law regarding the low birth rate in Taiwan.[14] She continued advocating for children, expressing concern in the following month that the internet made minors more susceptible to sexual exploitation and abuse.[15] In March 2022, Lo suggested that Article 31 of the Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong & Macau Affairs be amended to prevent Chinese companies from claiming foreign or Hong Kong funding while doing business in Taiwan.[16] During the 2022 Taiwanese local elections, she led the DPP campaign messaging efforts targeting immigrants and naturalized citizens.[17]
Lo was the fifth candidate listed on the DPP party list for the 2024 legislative election cycle.[18][19] In the 11th Legislative Yuan, Lo established the Taiwan-Malaysia Inter-Parliamentary Amity Group and an association advocating for the rights of new immigrants to Taiwan.[20]