Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wu Tsung-hsien (吳宗憲) said that while taking a taxi on a visit to Hualien County, the driver began to curse the Democratic Progressive Party’s cross-strait policy, saying it caused Chinese tourists to stop visiting Taiwan, hurting his business. He also said that civil servants used to visit Hualien and Taitung counties for the hot springs, but that they have stopped coming since the implementation of pension reforms.
Wu shared this anecdote to exaggerate the situation, with the aim of creating social panic to benefit specific political parties or individuals.
Pension reform has caused social conflict and civil unrest, but after much difficulty, the government has finally established a fairer system. Yet, some people want to stir up trouble in hopes of overturning the reforms.
The original pension system for the military, civil servants and teachers was indeed too high. Even with annual reductions, it is still much more favorable compared with other pensions — especially those for laborers.
To claim that these reductions make it impossible for pensioners to travel the world is hard to believe, let alone to say that they are financially unable to travel to Hualien or Taitung.
Pension reform should be approached holistically. With its limited resources, the government is tasked with looking after the entire public. The military, civil servants and teachers already claim disproportionate access to those resources, which in turn reduces the support available to other social groups.
Even if the nation’s financial resources improve, they should be used to expand overall support rather than be redirected back to specific groups. That would avoid a tilt in national development, which could give rise to social division.
It is alright for legislators to speak up for specific social groups, but deliberately exaggerating individual cases only illustrates a pattern of intolerance. A rising tide lifts all boats, but if legislators only focus on the interests of certain groups, national development as a whole would fall to pieces. When that happens, the military, civil servants and teachers would also become victims. Is that the outcome KMT legislators want?
Li Kuan-long is a university lecturer.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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