The Control Yuan yesterday censured the Executive Yuan, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) and the Ministry of National Defense for their "failure to establish comprehensive measures for the effective management of alternative service personnel."
Control Yuan member Lin Ju-liang (林鉅鋃) said at a press conference yesterday that while regulations governing alternatives to military service were introduced in 2000, the regulations have not been properly observed.
"The initial purpose of the legislation was to use surplus military conscripts to work in the community and improve the efficiency of government public service. But the ratio of those devoted to such work is far too low," Lin said.
According to Lin, among the 20,339 alternative service personnel available since 2000, only 1,665 people (8.18 percent) have actually serves in related agencies.
"Most of these personnel, who serve in governmental agencies, have been turned into the lackies of civil servants, often performing jobs that the civil servants should be performing themselves. That's not right." Lin stressed.
Further, Lin said the system by which some alternative service staff have been assigned to their posts is "inappropriate," and that many candidates are sent to agencies even though they do not have the qualifications to perform the assigned tasks.
According to Lin, some alternative service personnel have to perform as police officers, often assuming responsibility for community security without the appropriate training.
"The MND and MOI did not precisely estimate the amount of human resources that they would need to devote to social work and public service, and the two agencies carelessly carried out the regulations," Lin said.
Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (
Reacting to the Control Yuan's censure, Yu explained that he has asked the Department of Social Affairs (
"The requirements for community service work are very difficult to meet, but I have asked the department to ease the requirements," Yu added.
Under Department of Social Affairs (DSA) regulations, only grade-one ranked organizations for the mentally and physically handicapped are entitled to apply to appoint alternative service personnel.
The gradings are based on DSA quality assessments.
Only 49 of 820 listed organizations were originally ranked at grade one.
But the department increased that number to 120, at Yu's request in July.
Yu, on the other hand, emphasized that the National Conscription Administration (役政署) was just established this March, and the ministry needs more time to improve the problems.
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