The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday disputed President Chen Shui-bian's (
"Using time spent in party service as time spent in public service was a product of the martial law era when one party ruled the country. That practice was abolished with the lifting of martial law," KMT Spokeswoman Cheng Li-wen (
According to Cheng, the regulations during the martial law era allowed KMT members to count their service in the party as public sector service. In the past, most KMT members chose to retire as party members, instead of public servants, so their experience as public servants would be transformed to make up part of their KMT work service and they would receive retirement pensions from the party.
"It is not an issue anymore. The DPP is just exaggerating the issue as part of its smear campaign before the elections next month because they don't have anything to present to the voters," she added.
Chen said on Saturday that retired high-ranking KMT officials enjoyed the 18 percent interest rate on their savings, and said he would try to cut all the years they had served in the party from their service records.
The president yesterday said it was important to adjust the preferential interest rates given to retired civil servants. During a campaign event in Changhua County, Chen said that this would be the best way to eliminate the opposition between different social classes. Chen said that KMT Vice Chairman Kuan Chong's (關中) remarks about the revision shows that the KMT is not sincere about supporting the government's reform program.
"The KMT's past ambiguity of serving as governmental officials and party members had to be tackled anyway," Chen said.
Cheng said the party "would have no complaints" if Chen wants to cut the pensions of what he called the "hundreds of retired high-ranking KMT officials."
"But he shouldn't punish ordinary civil servants, teachers and military personnel by creating a class conflict to try to boost his party's campaign for next month's elections," she said.
Meanwhile, KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
"The Chen Che-nan (
In addition to slamming the DPP, Ma reiterated that KMT candidates should avoid corrupt tactice in the elections, nor should they govern corruptly.
"KMT candidates should keep in mind that we should never buy votes during elections, and avoid corruption when in power," he said.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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