《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》Fury over civil servant’s plan to retire

PENSION FUROR: Kuo Kuan-ying, who was fired by the Government Information Office in 2009, plans to retire on a full pension after working for less than six months

By Lee Hsin-fang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

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The Taiwan Provincial Government received a reprimand yesterday from the Control Yuan over its “severely flawed” employee selection methods in the case of former Government Information Office （GIO） official Kuo Kuan-ying （郭冠英）, who was going to receive a full retirement pension after working for the government for less than six months.

Kuo was appointed as foreign affairs secretary-general by the Taiwan Provincial Government on March 22 and he filed for retirement on April 22, causing more controversy about civil servants obtaining better pensions just prior to retirement by being promoted.

If Kuo’s application is approved, he is due to retire this month.

Kuo is eligible for a monthly pension of NT$60,000, despite his brief time in the position.

Born on March 25, 1949, Kuo was hired during the provincial government’s personnel screening process from Feb. 26 to March 3.

Kuo had been dismissed from the GIO in 2009 for allegedly writing inflammatory comments that were considered detrimental to the nation’s sovereignty.

Control Yuan member Chien Lin Hui-chun （錢林慧君） launched an investigation into Kuo’s appointment on April 21 to clarify whether the provincial government had contravened the Civil Service Employment Act （公務員任用法）.

Chien Lin had filed a request to dismiss Kuo because the provincial government seemed to have made up the job specifically for him.

The motion had been disputed by other Control Yuan members last month, but was approved yesterday.

Chien Lin said the provincial government knowingly flouted the act when it hired Kuo by overlooking the necessary procedures.

Kuo received the lowest score of the seven applicants from the human resource review panel, but the highest score of the seven from the foreign affairs division chief.

The provincial government’s procedures were sloppy and flawed, and certainly not transparent and honest, Chien Lin said.

Chien Lin said that Kuo’s retirement application has already been processed by the Ministry of Civil Service and the reprimand may be too late to prevent his retirement.

Department of Retirement and Survivor Relief Director Lu Ming-tai （呂明泰） said the Control Yuan reprimand was against the provincial government and not the individual, adding that the ministry would review whether the reprimand affected Kuo’s employment status.

If his employment is deemed illegal then it would be considered annulled, Lu said, adding that then the main controversy — Kuo’s eligibility for a higher pension — would cease to be a problem.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES