The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday criticized Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) for proposing that the central government cut subsidies to cities and counties that have publicly spoken out against a proposed trade agreement with China.
Tsai, a member of the KMT’s standing committee, “displayed a lack of respect for democracy,” DPP spokesman Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said, adding that he was unsure what Alex Tsai hoped to accomplish as “everyone is entitled to their own opinion on the agreement.”
The spokesman called Tsai’s comments “groundless fear-mongering.”
Speaking at the Legislature’s Finance Committee on Wednesday, Alex Tsai said that any city or county that did not support a proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China should have their subsidy transfers from the central government cut.
He said subsidies should also be cut for those areas that persist in criticizing Taipei City for failing to pay back fees owed to the National Health Insurance system.
During the session, Minister of Finance Lee Sush-der (李述德) agreed with Alex Tsai’s comments.
“You read my mind,” he later told Alex Tsai.
Tsai Chi-chang said the KMT’s tactics were “becoming eerily similar to those of a dictatorship, similar to China, which attempts to control and limit freedom of expression.”
The DPP is also asking for Lee to stand down because of his “inability to remain neutral over the issue, which makes him unfit to be be a public servant.”
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Alex Tsai clarified his remarks, saying it would be inappropriate for people who did not support the nation’s development to share in its largesse.
He also pledged his support for the besieged minister, but said Lee should have taken an even tougher stance.
This did not prevent heavy criticism from DPP-controlled cities and counties, some of which accused both Alex Tsai and Lee of being “undemocratic” and demanded a public apology from both.
“[Alex Tsai’s] comments betray his autocratic ideas. What he said is deeply regrettable. He should apologize immediately,” said Tainan Mayor Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財) who has expressed support for a referendum on an ECFA.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) yesterday also criticized Alex Tsai’s proposal, saying that distribution of government funding had nothing to do with local government support for an ECFA.
KMT Legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) came to Alex Tsai’s defense yesterday, saying the proposal was appropriate.
This was not the first time Alex Tsai created controversy over an ECFA.
He previously asked company representatives attending a Financial Supervisory Commission report to publicly state whether they supported the agreement.
On Monday, Tsai also proposed to the legislative Finance Committee that banks, insurance and securities companies be required to promote an ECFA before being awarded licenses to operate in China.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
NAMING SPAT: The foreign ministry called on Denmark to propose an acceptable solution to the erroneous nationality used for Taiwanese on residence permits Taiwan has revoked some privileges for Danish diplomatic staff over a Danish permit that lists “Taiwan” as “China,” Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of European Affairs, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Reporters asked Huang whether the Danish government had responded to the ministry’s request that it correct the nationality on Danish residence permits of Taiwanese, which has been listed as “China” since 2024. Taiwan’s representative office in Denmark continues to communicate with the Danish government, and the ministry has revoked some privileges previously granted to Danish representatives in Taiwan and would continue to review
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
RSS