Contrary to the general perception that the year-end pension benefits for government retirees had been permanently revised to cover only the disadvantaged, Premier Sean Chen yesterday said the revision will only be applied this year.
“The policy regarding pension distribution will be reviewed on an annual basis,” Chen said when fielding questions from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) and several others at a question-and-answer session in the legislature yesterday.
Amid mounting criticism of the pension benefits over concerns about unfairness in the system and the nation’s fiscal strain, Chen announced on Oct. 19 that the coverage of the benefit would be narrowed to two groups of people: retirees whose monthly pre-retirement salary was less than NT$20,000, and families of deceased retirees and retirees who were killed, injured or disabled in wars or on military exercises.
The reduction of the coverage, which currently encompasses about 432,000 retired civil servants, teachers and military personnel, would slash the budget to one-nineteenth of its original size and the number of recipients to about 40,000.
Chen won approval from some opposition lawmakers when he revised the policy, with DPP Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) last week applauding Chen for his “bravery.” Yao took his praise back yesterday.
Saying that he has been consistent since the first time he made the announcement, Chen added that an annual review of the pension system was exactly what was stipulated in the notification which governs the distribution of the year-end bonus for active government employees and year-end pension benefits to retired officials.
Chen said that whether the government reinstates the pension for government retirees will be contingent on the nation’s fiscal situation, which he said is not something he can predict.
When Yao repeatedly asked Chen if he has the “will” to make to reform the system, Chen dodged his questions.
Meanwhile, Chen said the repeated calls from opposition lawmakers for President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to donate half of his salary to honor his 2008 campaign pledge that he would do so if he fails to materialize the “6-3-3” goals — GDP growth 6 percent, an unemployment rate of less than 3 percent and per capita income of US$30,000 — led him to raise the issue with the president.
Chen said Ma told him that he already donates more than half of his wages to charities each year, adding that Ma said he will report to the public about his donations when the time is right.
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
RSS