Editorial: Budget cuts amount to revenge

On Thursday, the pan-blue-dominated legislature made many shocking and unprecedented cuts to the government's budget for this year. It is easy to see why some pan-green lawmakers are calling the budget cuts "retaliatory" in nature. A closer examination reveals that many of the cuts are not only often quite personal -- targeting specific individuals against whom the pan-blues hold a grudge -- but also have a very negative effect on the operation of the government. The only end being accomplished by the opposition is to teach the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government a lesson: The pan-blues are flexing their legislative muscle in an attempt to force the government to give in to its demand on issues in which the two camps do not see eye to eye. Behavior of this sort is completely irresponsible and unprofessional and should be condemned.

It came as no surprise that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was the primary target of this retaliatory campaign. The president's budget for confidential national affairs was reduced to NT$35 million (US$1 million) -- NT$10 million less than the previous year. At the request of the People First Party (PFP), a resolution calling on the president to be cautious in his speech and behavior was also passed. The PFP alleged that this resolution was required because the president's speeches risk divulging sensitive matters of national security. This kind of formal, open and disrespectful criticism of the nation's chief executive by the legislature is indeed surprising.

As if that were not enough, the legislature also demanded that the various special committees set up by the Presidential Office -- including the committees on human rights, science and technology, and constitutional reform, among others -- should be dissolved on the grounds that they have no legal basis. It should be well within the executive branch's power to set up these committees for consultation purposes. Furthermore, many of these committees were set up in accordance with the demands of the general public. Under the circumstances, the legislature can only be seen to be placing vengeance above all else.

The other two main targets were National Security Council Secretary-General Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) and Government Information Office (GIO) Minister Pasuya Yao (姚文智), both of whom are highly unpopular among pan-blue lawmakers. Chiou is disliked because he helped to mastermind the DPP's election campaigns in last year's local government elections. It wasn't enough for the pan-blues to win that election, they still required vengeance on their "enemies." For this supposed "sin" on Chiou's part, the entire National Security Council is paying a severe price: Two-thirds of the council's budget has been frozen. The freeze will stay in place until Chiou gives assurances on the "neutrality of policy implementation."

At the end of the day, this country and its people will be the ones paying the real price, as the National Security Council cannot continue to function without funding.

As for Yao, he was "blacklisted" for repeatedly engaging in verbal arguments with pan-blue lawmakers. In addition to the major cuts made to many of the GIO minister's budgets, three-quarters of the GIO budget, excluding funds for utilities and personnel, is also being frozen.

One cannot help but wonder when this sort of childish behavior on the part of the legislature will cease. Don't the lawmakers know that every decision they make on the legislative floor has an impact on the well-being of the citizens of this country? If not, then they have no business being there. If so, they should learn to act in a more mature and responsible manner.