Pension reform is an issue that transcends the blue-green political divide, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday, calling for compromise and public support for the government’s “moderate and gradual reform plan.”
Tsai made the remarks in her opening speech at the government’s first national affairs conference on pension reform, which took place at the Presidential Office Building from 9am to 7pm against the backdrop of a large-scale demonstration by public-sector workers outside.
Tsai said that the same month four years ago, and at the same place, then-president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) expressed to the public the imperativeness of pension reform.
Photo: CNA
“Ma said our pension system involves both self-help and mutual help. He said it is not ‘your pension’ or ‘my pension,’ but rather ‘our pensions’ and ‘the pensions of our children and grandchildren,’ adding that it is a system that ‘must not and will not become insolvent,’” Tsai said.
Tsai said this shows that pension reform is not a political issue, but rather something a national leader, regardless of their political party, must carry out for the sake of the long-term stability of the nation.
Unfortunately, the Ma administration’s attempts at pension reform failed, Tsai said, adding that the nation cannot withstand another failure or delays, as “reform will only become more painful as time progresses.”
Ma in 2009 established a pension reform task force, which held a total of 124 forums nationwide to solicit public opinions before the government rolled out a draft plan spearheaded by then-Examination Yuan president John Kuan (關中) in January 2013.
However, the plan was stalled at the legislature, despite it being dominated by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) at the time, reportedly due to political concerns about the 2014 nine-in-one elections.
Tsai said her government’s draft reform plan seeks to gradually progress toward its goals, instead of meeting them in one sitting, in a bid to minimize its potential effects on the public.
“I know there are some protesters outside the Presidential Office [Building]. Their grievance is understandable, because their interests might be affected... However, only a sustainable pension system can make sure all of you receive pension payments, including your next generation,” Tsai said.
Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), who serves as convener of the Presidential Office’s pension reform committee, said the situation facing the nation’s pension system is so dire that “people will regret it tomorrow if we do not reform it today.”
“Pension reform is a long journey and today’s national affairs conference is only the beginning rather than the end. The conclusions made today are to be referred to the Examination Yuan and the Executive Yuan for consideration in their drafting of a bill, which will then be sent to the legislature for review,” Chen said.
The reform plan aims at keeping the pension systems alive for another 25 to 30 years, said Minister Without Portfolio Lin Wan-i (林萬億), who is deputy convener and executive director of the committee.
Lin said that following the introduction of the plan, the government will discuss in the next stage the feasibility of combining the nation’s various pension funds, such as setting up a one-for-all pension scheme, and establish a supervisory mechanism to re-evaluate pension funds every five to 10 years.
The draft reform plan is expected to delay estimations for bankruptcy of the Labor Insurance Fund by nine years to 2036, the public-school teachers’ pension fund by 12 years to 2043 and the Public Service Pension Fund by 14 years to 2044, the government said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
RSS