Hsieh says his post is meaningless if he's not supported

Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday said that being premier would have no meaning if his proposals cannot be supported and endorsed by the legislature.

"If I, as premier, cannot help my fellow Taiwanese residents solve flooding problems, it would be meaningless to remain in my post, don't you agree?" Hsieh said. "If that is the case, I would prefer to step down."

Explanation

The premier continued to explain his comments on Saturday night, when he urged lawmakers to boycott him so the president can be allowed to dismiss the legislature. In such circumstances, the NT$80 billion budget proposal for anti-flood construction work could be decided by the public through a referendum.

Hsieh said that he had been "a bit emotional" when he challenged the opposition parties on Saturday to topple his Cabinet because the legislature would not meet to discuss the anti-flood budget proposal.

The premier said that some officials told him they do not know what to do with a "domineering" Legislative Yuan, while the speaker has a different view from the chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).

Criticism

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), who is also a KMT member, criticized the government for trying to buy votes with the budget proposal, while KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) claimed that the budget had not been well planned. "These are two contradictory views," Hsieh said.

The premier said that he would accept a decision by the legislature with regard to the budget proposal, just as he accepted a cut in the premier's special spending allowance to NT$240,000 per month -- less than the NT$340,000 available to each of the mayors of Taipei and Kaohsiung.

`No confidence'

He said that the legislature can request a vote of no confidence in him on the grounds that his special budget request would not be good for the country, the result of which he will accept.

Given that the total budget has not been increased despite an increase in the defense budget, Hsieh said that it is reasonable for his Cabinet to propose a NT$80 billion budget for flood-control projects.

In the past, flood-control projects have failed because they were not financed by special budgets, Hsieh said, claiming that the Keelung River flood-control project was successful precisely because it was funded by a special budget.