Shih said Taiwan didn’t always have to follow the example of other countries.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), on the other hand, yesterday urged high-ranking government officials to consider taking a pay cut to show the government’s determination to get through the economic downturn.
Wang said the heads of five major government branches — the Executive Yuan, the Legislative Yuan, the Judicial Yuan, the Examination Yuan and the Control Yuan — and high-earning officials should consider voluntarily cutting their salaries, even though the move would not have any substantial effect on the nation’s economy. Wang said he was willing to take a pay cut of up to 20 percent, but did not support expanding the cut to all government employees.
“We should respect the current pay scale of public officials and look after all government employees,” he said.
Wang declined to comment when asked if lawmakers should also take a pay cut.
KMT caucus secretary-general Chang Sho-wen (張碩文) told a press conference yesterday that all legislators should take a pay cut if necessary. KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) said she supported the idea even though many legislators had a lot of bills to cover. Chang also urged state-run enterprises and state-run banks “that did not perform well” to consider revising salaries and year-end bonuses.
While urging officials to take a pay cut, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) yesterday urged Ma to make good his campaign promise to forego half of his salary should he fail to fulfil his “6-3-3” campaign pledge. The “6-3-3” economic policy refers to the goal of achieving annual GDP of 6 percent, annual per capita income of US$30,000, and an unemployment rate of less than 3 percent.
Lin also called on Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) to step down.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHIH HSIU-CHUAN AND JIMMY CHUANG
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