President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday voiced his support for the Examination Yuan's proposed exit mechanism to rid the government of incompetent officials, saying he expected the measure would enhance administrative efficiency and competitiveness.
“The quality of public officials is crucial in the competition among nations. I think it's correct to have an exit mechanism for public officials, so that they will not treat their job as an 'iron rice bowl,'” Ma said while meeting a group of model civil servants at the Presidential Office.
Ma also said he expected the Executive Yuan and the Examination Yuan to make a joint effort to protect the rights of civil servants while presenting an improved mechanism to raise the competitiveness of the public sector.
PHOTO: CNA
Ma's comments came after Examination Yuan President John Kuan (關中) said earlier this week that he would emulate the Singaporean model and create a mechanism that would enable the civil service system to get rid of public officials who perform poorly.
Under current regulations, public officials are rated on a scale of one to 100 each year.
Only those who receive less than 60 points are fired.
Kuan proposed getting rid of civil servants who score between 60 and 70 points for two consecutive years. He said the Examination Yuan would also propose setting up an evaluation system based on the Singaporean model in which civil servants who fare poorly receive little or no bonuses at all.
Ma underlined the importance of integrity among civil servants, encouraging them to work to better serve the public to promote government efficiency.
“Public trust is the most important asset of any government,” he said. “Corruption has the opposite effect and will only whittle down public trust [in the government].”
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