One such group has been the Taiwan Civil Service Innovation Coalition (TCSIC, 公事改革力
In January, the Alliance for Monitoring Pension Reforms 翻譯公司 made up of retired and working public servants as well as teachers and military veterans 翻譯公司 staged a massive rally as social groups and government representatives concluded a pension reform conference seeking to draw consensus on key points, including lowering the income replacement ratio and phasing out the controversial 18 percent preferential savings rate.
"There are deliberate moves by some to frame this as a 'political stocktaking against civil servants' in order to frame this as an ideological issue involving the pan green and pan blues. This has transformed an issue about systemic problems into a war of words."
Galvanized by Lin's open letter to the Tsai administration, Chou later became the organizations' spokesman for government-held discussion panels on pension reform.
The challenge for those advocating reform has been building a consensus among civil servants
For Lin 翻譯公司 however, that process has been fraught with incidents of personal attacks.
Chou, whose own family includes retired civil servants was initially asked why he wanted to involve himself in the issue.
A main area of contention has been the pace of which reforms are to take place. For example, Lin fears that the gradual pace proposed by the government may not translate into a sustainable system, describing it as a temporary solution at best.
"For me 翻譯公司 it's understandable that older colleagues who are about to retire want to take a position of resisting the government's reforms," Chou said.
Members of the TCSIC have powered their message of questioning business as usual in the public sector through social media.
The Elephant in the Room
Lin called on the new government to not only tackle pension reform but change the culture of the public bureaucracy.
But flying under the media's radar has been a younger generation of civil servants, who not only want pension reforms to proceed, but also changes to the very definition of public service itself.
Faced with impending bankruptcy, the issue of propping up the convoluted funds has been framed across party lines as a ticking time bomb.
▲圖／翻攝自中國郵報
In the video 翻譯公司 the inefficiencies of the public policy process are assessed from day one 翻譯公司 when isolated groups formulate policy based on their own internal discussions. By the time the policy has been finalized and outsiders, including the media, find out about its deficiencies 翻譯公司 the group is forced to push through an alternative that is still unconvincing. The short clip ends by asking: "Everybody sees the problem with this: what can be done to save the government?"
Whereas older civil servants and retirees rally easily to the call of resisting cuts to their benefits, for many young people, the pension issue seems like a distant problem full of obtrusive technical terms and legalese.
Lin said in an op-ed last month he was being monitored and vetted by an internal agency due to his participation in TCSIC.
"I'm 32 now and will be 45 or 46 when the pension funds are predicted to run dry. Right now, NT$3 翻譯公司000 is being deducted from my salary every month to pay into the pension fund. Unless something changes I basically won't be seeing any of the money I'm putting in right now," he said during a telephone interview.
Finding Middle Ground
"While they can't agree completely with our position, when I explain our predicament of high contribution rates, delayed retirement age and the looming threat of bankruptcy, they can start to at least sympathize with our dilemma." Chou added that he was surprised when older superiors showed support and encouragement for the group's mission to institute changes from within.
And even among groups supporting reform positions were diverse. Chou emphasized repeatedly during our conversation that TCSIC could not possibly represent all of its members.
。-> 翻譯社|,-> 翻譯公司|的-> 翻譯"Other young civil servants wanted a more radical approach: a clear division along generational lines to pursue reform objectives. But our viewpoint is different: a country's pension system is built on generations paying into it to support the next — so when we hear these opinions we have to take them into account and make adjustments accordingly 翻譯公司" he said.
He said he found it surprising how the "relatively well-educated civil servant cohort does not have the good judgment to stand up to fake news or rumors."
TAIPEI 翻譯公司 Taiwan -- No recent social issue has better demonstrated the fracturing potential of Taiwan's economic woes, its looming demographic crisis and its generational divide than that of pension reform.
"Traditionally, the only thing demanded of civil servants was that they follow orders. But we think that new modes of politics should be more bottom up in order to benefit the system as a whole. The TCSIC provides civil servants the space for policy discussions, skills training and a channel for voicing their opinions," Lin told The China Post.
Just before the new government took power 翻譯公司 Lin Yu-kai (林于凱), a young civil servant who had served for five years 翻譯公司 drafted an open letter to then-Premier-designate Lin Chuan.
量同盟).
The group say they want to make policymaking more transparent and streamlined, moving away from bureaucracy for bureaucracy's sake.
Politicians in the past balked at diffusing the crisis, aware their policy choices could very well blow up in their face.
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