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DPP reiterates
pensions, cross-strait offices stance
RIGHT TO RIGHTS: A poll found most respondents
think the establishment of the offices hinges on Beijing giving Taipei the right
to visit Taiwanese detained in China
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Reforming the pension funds of public-sector workers should take priority over
private-sector funds, and the proposed representative offices across the Taiwan
Strait should be accorded substantial functions, the Democratic Progressive
Party (DPP) said yesterday, reaffirming its position on a pair of contentious
issues to be discussed in the ongoing extra legislative session.
The DPP emphasizes social fairness in its reform plans, which is why it is
calling for a narrower income replacement rate gap between public and
private-sector pensions, DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (ªL«T¾Ë) told a press
conference.
¡§The income replacement rate of public-sector workers would still be between 80
percent and 90 percent under the government¡¦s reform plan. The DPP argues that
it should be about 70 percent,¡¨ Lin said.
Though calculations vary, the average income replacement rate for private-sector
workers is usually said to be about 60 percent.
With regards to the establishment of representative offices for the Straits
Exchange Foundation in China and for the Association for Relations Across the
Taiwan Straits in Taiwan, Lin said the offices should be established with the
purposes of serving people on both sides, instead of for any political
implication.
Citing a public opinion poll conducted by the party¡¦s poll center on Monday and
Tuesday last week, Lin said that most respondents deemed the establishment of
the offices unnecessary if Beijing does not grant Taipei visitation rights to
Taiwanese nationals detained in China and if the offices are not authorized to
issue travel documents.
The poll found that 83.1 percent of respondents felt China had to grant the
rights, while 65.2 percent said the offices would be unnecessary without the
rights.
The survey also found that 78.3 percent of those polled feel the offices would
need to have the ability to issue travel documents, while 29.1 percent said they
are needed even without that power and 5.7 percent declined to answer, Lin said.
Meanwhile, Lin said Chinese People¡¦s Political Consultative Conference chairman
Yu Zhengsheng («\¥¿Án) had not ¡§extended an olive branch¡¨ when he said Beijing
welcomes supporters of Taiwanese independence who want to visit China.
¡§Beijing¡¦s opposition to Taiwan¡¦s independence ironically reflects its lack of
understanding of the nation¡¦s democratic society and it disrespects Taiwanese
because all ideologies are respected on this side of the Strait,¡¨ Lin said.
¡§How do you define pro-Taiwan independence advocates?¡¨ DPP Department of China
Affairs director Honnigman Hong (¬x°]¶©) asked. ¡§Beijing¡¦s invitation is
meaningless. It should shelve its differences with the DPP and interact with
it.¡¨
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