KMT claims Chen trip a waste

The KMT legislative caucus yesterday called President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) foreign trips, wasteful and fruitless and threatened to axe his travel budget.

Defending the administration, the DPP legislative caucus called for a positive attitude on the issue, noting that accomplishing any diplomatic feat takes time.

Even before Chen's plane touched down on Taiwan soil, lawmakers from the main opposition party lined up to lash out at the president, branding his 10-day visit to Africa "a spendthrift vacation."

"Chen has made three foreign trips in the last two years, none of which have resulted in diplomatic success of any kind," KMT lawmaker Kwan Yuk-noan (關沃暖) told a morning news conference.

"What is worse, allies such as Costa Rica, Paraguay and Malawi, which used to back our bid to rejoin the UN, withheld their support last year."

As Chen has indicated he plans to take further trips abroad, Kwan suggested that all opposition lawmakers join forces and cut the budget expenditures earmarked for the Presidential Office.

The lawmaking body is due to review the central government's budget for next year when the fall session begins in September.

Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順), another KMT legislator, questioned what she said is the continued adoption of "dollar diplomacy" when the country itself is struggling to make ends meet.

"The various aid programs Chen has pledged during his previous trips amount to US$500 million, or NT$15 billion," she said.

"I doubt the wisdom of such generosity, when the country is itself plagued by an economic downturn and rising unemployment."

The president promised to provide US$300,000 in food aid for Malawi and Swaziland during his recent visits there, Huang said.

Fellow KMT lawmaker Chiang Yi-wen (江綺雯) echoed the view. She said that the many aid programs have failed to achieve the intended affect, as Taiwan's allies rarely if ever register positive economic growth.

During his first foreign trip as head of state in 2000, Chen pledged to provide US$100 million and US$120 million in financial aid for Nicaragua and Chad, respectively. Last year, he promised to put up US$6 million for Panama and another US$2.9 million for El Salvador during his visit to Latin America.

According to Chiang, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has to earmark a vast amount of money each year to cancel bad loans made to diplomatic allies.

"Over the years, the country has accumulated some NT$9 billion in bad loans," Chiang said. "The government has ceased to collect interest payments from NT$420 million worth of them."

KMT legislator Cheng Feng-shih (鄭逢時) said he found it incongruous for the president to make frequent trips abroad when the government is seeking to reduce its outlays.

"I see no point to this type of overseas travel now that only six of our allies bother to speak out in favor of Taiwan's entry to the UN," he said.

DPP legislative leader Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) dismissed the salvo of criticism as unfair.

Ker said that by taking the trips, the president hopes to cement ties between Taiwan and its allies and raise the country's international visibility.

"Let's take a positive outlook toward the issue, given the diplomatic predicament facing the nation," Ker said.