Candidates from Taiwan’s three main political parties sparred on the issue of pension reform, at a student-run event on Sunday afternoon. The ruling Kuomintang’s (KMT) presidential candidate Eric Chu warned against turning it into an intergenerational issue, while the opposition Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) vice presidential candidate, Chen Chien-jen, on the other hand, criticized the government for what he called “ineffectual policies.”
Chen criticized the government’s pension reforms, saying that the tax system had resulted in what he called “social injustice.” He said the DPP favors gradual implementation of reforms and related measures, a simplified system for allotting retirement benefits for different occupations, delaying the age when people can receive benefits, and a gradual adjustment of the income replacement rate. All of that, he said, should be decided in a national affairs conference.
The KMT’s presidential candidate, Eric Chu, criticized the DPP’s suggestion of using a national affairs conference to decide on pension reform, and economic growth to determine changes to the tax system. He said the biggest problem in Taiwan is that no one dares to tell the truth. He said that the DPP wants the government to pay for things like long-term care. But without financial stability, Chu said, that’s tantamount to writing a blank check.
Meanwhile the People First Party’s (PFP) presidential candidate, James Soong criticized both the KMT and the DPP. Soong said that he himself is good at cutting costs and that he has experience. He said that you have to run the country with experience, not ideology.