President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday pledged that the government would give special consideration to military personnel as it pursues pension reform, and would not tolerate any attempts to stigmatize the military.
Speaking at an event to mark Armed Forces Day today, Tsai urged the military to take the reforms in stride, saying that the problems in the current pension system have developed over time and if they are not addressed, they would affect the future of military retirees.
The problems escalated because past governments did not have the courage to tackle pension reform, Tsai said, adding that blame should not be placed on any single individual or occupation.
Photo: CNA
She said pension reform is not an easy task, because it requires discussions between the government and each category of workers to address their particular concerns.
The military, for example, tends to have a short service period, early retirement and a high turnover rate, Tsai said.
The government will take these factors into consideration in its pension reform plans, she said.
The president added that she would not turn a blind eye to any attempts to stigmatize or mock the military.
She was referring to complaints by retired public servants that they are often depicted as enjoying lucrative retirement benefits and are blamed for the problems in the pension system.
An alliance of retired and active military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers is planning to take to the streets today to protest against what it called “stigmatization” of public-sector pensioners.
Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) said it is not appropriate for active military personnel to take part in the protest.
However, the ministry will not set out to determine whether any active personnel join the protest, and any penalties will depend on the demonstrators’ behavior during the protest, he said.
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