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Pensions slow progress in legislature

Yesterday's legislative session ground to a halt over a controversial bill regarding pensions for retired government employees, but lawmakers later agreed to temporarily set the bill aside and review less controversial legislation on Friday.

A motion that will determine whether to continue with the Cabinet's proposal aimed at reforming the 18 percent preferential interest rate system for retired military personnel, civil servants and government-employed teachers paralyzed the legislature again as it had last Friday.

Pan-blue lawmakers wanted to pass a resolution to override the Cabinet's proposal, but pan-green lawmakers, who represent a minority in the legislature, refused to schedule a vote on it.

Since the Cabinet's proposal was submitted on Feb. 16, lawmakers have discussed the issue several times but failed to reach consensus.

During yesterday's cross-party negotiations on the issue, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Yeh Yi-chin (葉宜津) urged Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers to follow KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) lead.

"If Ma is serious about reform, then KMT lawmakers should show their sincerity in this case," Yeh said.

Yeh was referring to a report in yesterday's China Times that said Ma had instructed the party to behave rationally in the legislature and refrain from boycotting bills which are beneficial to the public.

KMT Legislator Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), executive director of the KMT's policy coordination department, then agreed that his party would not insist on putting the pension system at the top of the agenda.

"We suggested that the bills on which we have already reached a consensus be reviewed before the pension system bill so that they can pass earlier," Tseng said.

With the support of the KMT, yesterday's procedure committee then placed the pension system bill last on Friday's agenda.

Ma's expressed desire for reform is expected to meet another challenge when it comes to the issue of the KMT's stolen party assets, however.

As KMT lawmakers have boycotted the initial review of the statute aimed at divesting the party of its stolen assets in the committee, DPP lawmakers threatened to propose a motion during Friday's session calling for the bill to be moved out of the committee and sent for a second reading.

People First Party (PFP) Legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) said his party would support such a motion on Friday.

Liu's remarks sparked speculation that the PFP was seeking revenge after the KMT helped the DPP place the controversial arms procurement bill on the legislative agenda last Friday. Liu, however, dismissed the conjecture.

Pledging to mold the KMT into a responsible opposition party, Ma said yesterday that reconciliation with the pan-green camp has always been his goal.

"I would like to foster a more rational relationship between the pan-blue and pan-green camps. I think this would help to narrow the deep divide between the two camps," Ma said when meeting with the press at KMT headquarters.

Ma said his party would cooperate by compiling a list of nominees for the Control Yuan and support worthwhile bills.

"The distance between us and the DPP should not be greater than between us and the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] ... Hopefully the two sides can reconcile on the basis of rationality," he said, urging the DPP to be reasonable.

In response to queries about Premier Su Cheng-chang's (蘇貞昌) apparent advocacy of relaxing restrictions on Taiwanese investment in China, Ma said the party approved of Su's stance, adding that the KMT was willing to help the government push for more cross-strait cooperation through the KMT-CCP communication platform.

Meanwhile, Su said yesterday that he looked forward to the realization of Ma's plan for greater cross-party cooperation.

"Whether we belong to the KMT or the DPP, we all belong to the same country. I support [Ma's] comments and hope that he acts on them," Su said.

Asked about the chances of a Su-Ma meeting, which has been the subject of speculation since last October, Su was less agreeable.

"I still prefer a party-to-party meeting rather than a closed-door meeting between him and me," Su said.

Additional reporting by Jimmy Chuang
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