Presidential Office Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun and Premier Frank Hsieh (
Joining the sit-in temporarily at 3pm, Yu said he had come to express the concern and appreciation of President Chen Shui-bian (
With Beijing hosting the Olympic Games in 2008, Yu said Taiwan should seize the opportunity to attract foreign visitors and raise its profile by holding a Taiwan Expo.
PHOTO: WANG YI-SUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
"It will be a great loss to the people of Taiwan if the legislature fails to give the bill and the budget the go-ahead," he said.
Yu said that Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
The odds of passing the bill and budget, however, are considered slim because the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus has said it will not support the legislation.
"The Taiwan Expo is nothing but a joke and a fraud," KMT caucus whip Chen Chieh (
The government plans to spend about NT$19.5 billion (US$628 million) to stage the event at two main venues as well as a supplementary location.
Chen said his party's caucus was considering holding a sit-in to protest against the Cabinet, which he said had lied to the public.
If the government wants to stage an international exposition, Chen said, it has to sign an agreement with the International Bureau of Exhibitions (BIE) in Paris.
Countries failing to do so cannot seek support or participation from its 98 member states, he said.
Without BIE member input, he said, the event would be nothing more than a local trade fair.
"In short, the event is a mega-carnival, which will not only cost taxpayers' money but also attract a smaller crowd than is expected, taking into account that the event is being organized in such a short space of time," he said, suggesting that seven or eight years was needed to organize the project.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Lai Ching-te (
Lai said the event was a victim of the political tussle between Ma and Wang, who are vying for the KMT chairmanship. Wang supports the event, but Ma does not.
Dismissing the KMT caucus' argument as an "excuse," Lai said Ma was concerned that a successful exhibition may sabotage his bid for the presidency in 2008.
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