The Executive Yuan reacted angrily yesterday after opposition lawmakers voted down the government's annual budget request on Tuesday, while moving forward with plans for its five-year, NT$500 billion public construction project.
Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung (
"It's unconstitutional, illegal and jeopardizes the relationship between the executive and legislative branches," Lin said.
Citing Article 70 of the Constitution, Lin said the legislature is not permitted to request the Cabinet increase spending while reviewing the annual budget.
In addition, it was in defiance of the law and encroached on the government's authority for the legislature to ask the executive branch to adjust budget items of the annual spending plan, according to interpretation No. 264 of the Council of Grand Justices, he said.
Lin also dismissed media speculation that the Cabinet is planning to request a constitutional interpretation on the quandary.
"Instead, we'll submit an explanatory note to the legislature and follow up with personal visits to opposition lawmakers in the hope that they'll change their mind and resume the committee budgetary review as soon as possible," he said.
While the Cabinet respects the authority of the legislative body, Lin said, it is impossible for the government to accept a resolution that is illegitimate.
"As the law stands, the legislative body is supposed to complete the review of the government's annual budget request by the end of November. However, it has failed to do so for the past three years," Lin said.
"The resolution not only is illegal but also seriously hampers the execution of government initiatives."
Cashing in on their numerical edge, opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), People First Party (PFP) and independent lawmakers voted on Tuesday in favor of a motion to shelve review of the government's annual budget.
The opposition bloc also requested the Cabinet submit an amended spending plan by Monday, claiming that certain outlays lack a legal foundation.
Opposition lawmakers argued that the Cabinet should not have requested funding to establish a human rights memorial hall because the legislature has not yet approved such a plan.
They also said the Judicial Yuan should not have proposed a budget for its reorganization as the legislative body has not yet decided whether to approve its restructuring.
Lin said the accusations were just another pretext for the opposition camp to boycott the spending plan.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet yesterday approved the special draft bill of the five-year, NT$500 billion public construction project.
The draft, should it be approved by the legislature, earmarks a special budget of NT$500 billion over the next five years. The fund, which would be exempt from the Budget Law (
The draft stipulates that the government may either borrow money or sell stakes in state-owned enterprises to obtain the funding.
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