"I put great value on Hakka affairs not only because I am of Hakka ancestry, but also because I'm well aware of how important it is to continue to promote Hakka culture, " Ma said in his opening speech at the "2009 World Hakka Culture Conference."

According to Ma, while the Hakka affairs budget was increased by 33 percent this year, the government is planning to have it increased by 27 percent next year, and doubled from the current level within four years.

Ma pointed out that his efforts in the past to promote Hakka culture have been aimed at building Taiwan into a global Hakka cultural and business center.

As Taipei mayor from 1998 to 2006, he established the first local government-level Hakka affairs committee and as president, he has worked to promote Hakka dialect, revitalize and innovate Hakka culture, and develop Hakka-related business.

The recent passage of a draft bill governing Hakka affairs is a significant step by the government to highlight the multi-cultural spirit upheld by the country's Constitution, said Ma.

He pointed out that he has asked the government to carry out the five points he made at a nationwide Hakka convention held in September, and that he hoped the Hakka community would make more suggestions at this conference to make Hakka culture continue to shine.

Ma praised the "persistent spirit" of the Hakka people. Noting that they traveled from China to Taiwan over 400 years ago, he praised the Hakka people's perseverance and their attitude of never blaming fate for hardships, traits which Ma said had helped them successfully establish a strong foothold in Taiwan.

Ma's ancestors originated from central China's Hunan Province. Ma said that many years ago he found the "Ma Village" (village of the clan with the surname Ma) in Miaoli County's Tongsiao Township, and since then he would never forget the Hakka tradition of paying reverence to his ancestors during Chinese New Year.

Wu Poh-hsiung, honorable chairman of the World Hakka General Association and former chairman of the ruling Kuomintang, said at the opening ceremony that the Hakka dialect was once used by one billion people around the world, making it one of the world's 20 most important languages.

Over the years, the government has been trying to promote the Hakka dialect because fewer young people speak it compared to in the past, Wu called on parents of Hakka descendants to teach their children the responsibility of preserving their dialect.

Organized by the Cabinet's Council for Hakka Affairs, this year's conference was attended by a record number of Hakka people from home and abroad, including 150 from Taiwan and some 350 from 21 countries and regions, such as the United States, Canada, Japan, Spain, Brazil, Costa Rica, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Australia, Argentina, Paraguay and South Africa.

There are nearly 5.79 million Hakkas in Taiwan if the broad definition of the term is used, or about 25 percent of the country's population, according to a Council for Hakka Affairs survey in 2008.

The name "Hakka" is a word of Cantonese origin, literally meaning "guest" or "stranger." In many parts of southern China, these "guests" are still treated as outsiders or intruders even though everyone now concedes that they are of the same race as the majority Han Chinese.