Taiwan Solitary Union (TSU) legislators issued an ultimatum yesterday to the government, claiming it will seek to cut the budgets of the ministries of finance and justice should the government fail to reclaim the country's assets "illegally seized" by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) during its years of rule.
The TSU's legislative caucus invited officials of both the ministries of finance and justice to report their handling of the KMT's alleged ill-gotten party assets at the caucus office at the Legislative Yuan.
Vice Minister of Finance Lee Ruey-tsang (
PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TMES
So far, the KMT has returned 1.8 hectares, or more than NT$1.2 billion in market value, accounting for 1.7 percent of the total amount of what it should return.
Lee said that since the legislature has failed to pass a draft bill on statutes governing ill-gotten party assets, his ministry possesses no weapons to back its move to force the KMT to return their improperly obtained party assets.
The Land Act (
A TSU caucus whip, Ho Min-hao (
"The government has been advocating reforms, and the party assets issue is the best start for it to push for reforms, " Ho said, urging the government to "do something" in demanding the KMT to return "ill-gotten" party assets as soon as possible.
Otherwise, the TSU will act to force the government to reassess the budgets of relevant authorities, he said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials yesterday also accused members of the KMT of acting like "bandits" and "rascals" for refusing to return the party's ill-gotten assets to the national coffer.
They said KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
The DPP has said the KMT has no right to sell the land, because like many other properties now owned by the KMT, the piece of land is supposed to belong to the government.
Ma had said that if the DPP has any allegations regarding the KMT's handling of its party assets, they should "produce evidence," instead of "just shouting slogans."
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