KMT, New Party sink DPP's 2001 budget proposal

The central government's budget proposal for fiscal 2001 failed to get onto the legislative agenda yesterday amid opposition from KMT and New Party lawmakers.

The move has, in effect, stalled the budget review process. Under the original plan agreed to by lawmakers, the legislature was to start reviewing the budget proposal after Premier Tang Fei (唐飛) and his Cabinet members had delivered a general report on the budget to the legislature on Sept. 19.

When the review will finally get underway will now be the subject of inter-party negotiations.

Members of the KMT caucus in the legislature said the review would not proceed until the Executive Yuan reduced projected expenditures by at least NT$600 billion.

The comments of certain opposition legislators were suggestive of a backlash against the remarks of certain Cabinet members, especially Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) who had claimed that at least NT$500 billion was wasted every year by the former KMT government owing to corruption.

"Since the new government claims to practice thrift, how come it has proposed a budget outlining NT$95 billion more in expenditure than that of the current fiscal year?," asked KMT Legislator Chen Ching-pao (陳清寶).

The other two Cabinet members named by the KMT legislators included Research, Development and Evaluation Commission Chairman Lin Chia-cheng (林嘉誠) and Public Construction Commission Chairman Lin Neng-pai (林能白), who had respectively claimed that the new government would be able to save NT$200 billion and NT$70 billion.

James Chen (陳健治), another KMT legislator, said it was reasonable to expect cuts of at least NT$600 billion from the new government's budget proposal based on the figures offered by the three officials.

"Since they have said so, we believe they must be able to do it," Chen said. "We hope their figures will be reflected in the budget proposal."

In addition, the KMT caucus demanded that the three officials offer an explanation to the caucus for their remarks.

The New Party caucus, on the other hand, decided to block the budget proposal to register its protest against the new administration for "belittling" the party by shutting it out of the cross-party round-table meeting recently called by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

"Since the new government hasn't invited us to the round-table meeting, why should we review its budget proposal?" said Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆), convener of the New Party caucus.

DPP caucus convener Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財) said his caucus would continue to communicate with opposition legislators to facilitate review of the budget.

The DPP caucus agreed that the three Cabinet members involved should report to the KMT legislators to help clear up their misgivings.

Vice Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) said the Executive Yuan would use every possible means to secure the legislature's support for its budget proposal.

On the KMT's demand to cut proposed government spending, Chang said the Executive Yuan had no authority to revise its budget proposal now that it had been submitted to the legislature.

"There is still room for discussion as to how legislators will make budget cuts," Chang said.

Meanwhile, Tang delivered his six-month policy address to the legislature yesterday, the first day of the new legislative session.

Tang said the government was evaluating plans to lift the ban on direct cross-strait transport, business and mail links to improve cross-strait relations.