Former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) office yesterday issued a statement protesting claims by the Presidential Office that it had proposed an adjustment to the budget for retired leaders for the convenience of Chen’s office.
The Presidential Office proposed a budget of NT$12 million (US$365,000) for retired presidents and vice presidents for next year, a NT$120,000 increase compared with this year’s budget.
The budget was listed in proposed revisions to the Statute Governing Preferential Treatment to Retired Presidents and Vice Presidents (卸任總統副總統禮遇條例).
The statute now stipulates that a former president is entitled to a NT$250,000 monthly stipend. On top of that, former presidents receive NT$8 million to cover business expenses for the first year after they step down. The amount is reduced by NT$1 million in each subsequent year.
In response to the increase, Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said earlier yesterday that the preferential treatment budget was usually applicable from May 20 to May 19 the following year, while the general budget applied to the year from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31.
The Presidential Office listed the fee for Chen from Jan. 1 next year to May 19, 2011, so that “Chen’s office could use the money more conveniently,” he said.
Chen’s office yesterday issued a press release rebutting Wang’s remarks and saying the Presidential Office listed the budget for its own convenience.
Presidential Office Secretary-General Chan Chun-po (詹春柏) issued a notification to the Ministry of the Interior and sent a copy to Chen’s office in March, saying the Presidential Office would list the stipend for next year and 2011 together to avoid confusion because of the different calculation period between the fiscal year and former presidents’ retirement time.
“The Presidential Office changed the way it listed the stipends for its own convenience. We did not ask for any convenience in terms of spending,” the statement said, urging Wang to apologize for making such remarks.
Wang said the Presidential Office had contacted Chen’s office before listing the proposed changes.
“I think Chen’s office is overreacting on this issue ... We listed the stipends this way in order to serve former presidents and vice presidents better,” he said.
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