Five men who said they were retired military personnel burst into yesterday’s public hearing on proposed pension reforms at the Examination Yuan to protest the lack of a military representative at the hearing.
The five knocked over tables and climbed over desks, yelling: “We’re from the military, why can’t we be here?”
The meeting was being attended by Examination Yuan officials, academic representatives and government officials.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
Examination Yuan Vice President Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) tried to calm the men by telling them that the draft amendments on the table for the day’s discussions did not include those affecting military service personnel, and that a separate meeting was planned to address military-related issues, to which military representatives had been invited.
However, his comments did little to appease the protesters, and so Lee called for a one-hour recess and left the room.
The men then turned on Taiwan Civil Service Reform Alliance spokesman Lin Yu-kai (林于凱), saying: “Who does he represent?”
Lin’s reply that he was there to give a voice to the children and grandchildren of retirees was mocked by the men.
Examination Yuan Secretary-General Lee Jih-shyuan (李繼玄) then invited the protesters to sit down and raise their questions when the hearing resumed.
Lee Yi-yang reappeared at about 10:50am and told the protesters, who were sitting to one side of the room, that he had invited Lee Jih-shyuan to represent the interests of younger government officials.
He then dismissed the hearing on the grounds that order could not be restored in the room.
The protesters said that they were willing to let the meeting continue and asked why it was dismissed.
The protesters and several of the officials at the hearing followed Lee Yi-yang as he went upstairs, banging on his office door and protesting the dismissal of the hearing.
The five protesters said they would consider protesting again today outside the Examination Yuan, before returning to the main hall to sit and chant slogans.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) posted on Facebook that the protesters appeared confused.
“The hearing at the Examination Yuan was about the reform of government functionaries’ pensions. So there was no need for teachers or military personnel to be represented … those military retirees were confused about the situation,” he wrote, comparing the situation to going to a KFC outlet and then protesting because one cannot order a McDonald’s McChicken sandwich.
Wang called on Examination Yuan President Wu Jin-lin (伍錦霖) to investigate how the protesters were able to enter the building and reach the fourth floor, where the meeting was being held, noting that there are 130 police officers stationed at the Examination Yuan.
“Who guided [the protesters] and permitted them to go from the second floor up to the meeting room on the fourth floor?” Wang wrote.
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