Mainland Affairs Council Vice Chairman Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) paced down the hall Tuesday afternoon outside the meeting room where legislators were gathered to discuss this year's spending budget.
Earlier, the legislature -- at the request of the New Party caucus -- postponed review of the council's budget. Lawmakers wanted the council to explain why it had reneged on a pledge to allow domestic airlines to fly in Chinese airspace following the US attacks on Afghanistan.
After Chen gave an explanation, New Party legislative leader Elmer Fung (
Such exchanges are commonplace when the legislature is about to wrap up a budgetary review.
Indeed, officials from various government departments have intensified their lobbying efforts in the legislature recently, with an eye toward keeping their budgets intact or pared as little as possible.
They bow to every legislator they meet, shake their hands tightly and repeat the same plea: "Please don't cut our budget, or minimize the cuts if adjustments are inevitable."
Chen sought again to pacify Fung on Wednesday morning, but to no avail.
"Mr. Fung has apparently misunderstood the council," Chen said. "The airline companies volunteered not to fly the route for technical reasons. The council did nothing to influence their decision."
The council has proposed a modest budget of NT$600 million for this year, in line with a call from the Cabinet for belt-tightening as national revenue shrinks.
But Fung is not convinced, saying his caucus would not accept an explanation from anyone else other than Tsai.
"The ball is in the council's court. I don't mind dragging out the budgetary review if it suits the council's desire," the lawmaker said.
Tsai is likely to make a conciliatory, if symbolic, gesture to break the standoff. The ruling DPP lacks a majority in the legislature and must bide its time for now.
Liao Sheng-hsiung (廖勝雄), vice minister of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission, spent Wednesday and yesterday seeking to win back the NT$1.5 billion that was removed from the commission's budget.
The bulk of the cut comes primarily from a project that buys local TV programs and airs them in Chinese communities overseas through the commission's Macroview Television. A reckless cut, Laio cautioned, would influence the quality of the programs the channel provides. The commission has asked for NT$1.7 billion this year.
KMT lawmaker Kwan Yuk-noan (關沃暖), who heads the Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee, said the lawmakers' cut fulfills the commission's promise to be thrifty.
"With the cut, we are actually doing the commission a favor," Kwan said. "Commission head Chang Fu-mei (
Liao argues that more time is necessary to evaluate whether the proposal will work. Any surplus funds will be returned should the plan work after it's been implemented, Liao said.
Still, the KMT legislator believes the commission can make do with a smaller budget, noting it did not spend all of the funds at its disposal last year.
"The cut is reasonable and will stand unless the commission can convince me otherwise," Kwan said. The lawmaker would not talk with Chang in person, calling her "stubborn and self-righteous."
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