Political infighting and corruption in the legislature has all but torpedoed Taiwan's military acquisition process, and the US' patience is running thin, according to Defense News, a US weekly magazine.
The weekly reported on Monday that senior US officials were frustrated by the legislature's blocking of defense acquisition legislation in order to embarrass President Chen Shui-bian (
Anonymous US defense sources were quoted in the report as saying that both Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators expected kickbacks from Taiwanese agents working for foreign defense contractors in return for favorable legislative action on arms deals, and this was further undermining the procurement process.
"A local Taiwan defense source said he knew legislators who assigned an assistant `or even a team of them' to secure handouts from the [local agents of foreign defense contractors]," the report said, adding that Washington recently warned Taiwan's legislature to clean up its act before it's too late.
Nosedive
"This year will go down as either the year when the US-Taiwan defense relationship takes a nosedive or the year of recovery ... The ball is in [the] Legislative Yuan's court," an anonymous senior US official was quoted as saying.
The official added that while Taiwanese lawmakers sabotage arms deals with the US for their own interests, the US is pushing for closer state and military relations with China, the report said.
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday refused to comment on the story.
"As usual, we would not make any comment on such an issue," said Rear Admiral Wu Chi-fang (
However, KMT caucus whip Tsai Chin-lung (蔡錦隆) rejected any notion that corruption in the legislature was undermining arms deals.
"I'm truly shocked [by such allegations]," Tsai told the Taipei Times, adding that since he became a KMT party member and legislator, no one had offered him bribes in exchange for favorable consideration of military acquisition-related legislation.
"To characterize legislators as corrupt like that is offensive. I wouldn't say the whole American government is corrupt because of one corrupt American politician, would I?" Tsai said, adding that he would consider seeking an apology from, or taking legal action against, anybody who alleged that legislators are corrupt.
`Poorly budgeted'
Tsai blamed the DPP for budgeting the deal in such a way that it couldn't possibly be approved. He said the DPP had deliberately budgeted the deal poorly so that it could blame the KMT when the deal was canceled by KMT legislators.
DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (
"The legislature can review budgets, and we have revised the arms deal twice in line with how the KMT wants it budgeted," Kuan said, adding that the KMT wouldn't even discuss the deal.
Kuan, however, denied that corruption was a big problem in the legislature.
"To describe the legislature as `dysfunctional' would be a more accurate term than `corrupt,'" she said.
Meanwhile, KMT Legislator Su Chi (
Su made the remarks in his luncheon address at the annual US-Taiwan Business Council meeting on US-Taiwan military issues held yesterday and today in Denver, Colorado. He added that the legitimacy of the Chen government was disintegrating.
Former Deputy Minister of National Defense Tsai Ming-hsien (蔡明憲), who also attended the event, did not concur with Su's statement. It was inappropriate for Su to talk about domestic politics in the US, Tsai said, adding that he was disappointed that Su would denigrate his own government in front of Americans.
Tsai further added that Su was incorrect when he asserted in his speech that the majority of the Taiwanese were opposed to the military purchases.
According to Tsai, there have been various surveys from the latter half of last year showing that the public supported the purchases.
Additional reporting by Jimmy Chuang
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