Legislators yesterday gave mixed reviews to a proposal that the government provide pensions to retired lawmakers.
When approached for comment, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus secretary-general Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) said it was debatable whether legislators should be considered professionals. But she said the number of terms a lawmaker had served should be taken into consideration in any pension.
KMT Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) said the government should only discuss a pension fund for legislators if it also intends to discourage legislators from holding other jobs.
“I have been a legislator for 17 or 18 years. I left my position as a teacher at National Chengchi University when I first ran for office,” Lee said. “I focus on legislative affairs and do not have any other job, so I have no idea how I will make a living after I retire.”
The lawmakers were responding to a bill proposed by KMT Legislator Chiang Yi-hsiung (江義雄) on Monday that would see the government subsidize a pension for legislators, with lawmakers covering the remaining costs.
Chiang said during a meeting of the Internal Administration Committee that legislators would receive a minimum of between NT$1 million (US$29,500) and NT$2 million after leaving the legislature under the pension system.
Chiang proposed the bill in response to recent media reports that former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Wang Hsueh-fung (王雪峰) and her husband were living off of money earned by recycling after Wang finished her term.
KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) opposed the bill, saying politicians should not receive pensions from the government and lawmakers should develop their expertise.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Kao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) said a pension for legislators was controversial because the public did not support it, making legislators reluctant to push for it.
He said many legislators had other careers, giving as an example his own work as a lawyer. Kao said he was not worried about making a living after leaving the legislature.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RICH CHANG
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS