Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday blocked the budget of the Ministry of National Defense's General Political Warfare Bureau following the changing of a slogan in its publication, Youth Daily, from "the military fights for the republic of China" to "the military fights for Taiwan."
At a legislative National Defense Committee meeting yesterday reviewing next year's military budget, KMT legislators said they were blocking the NT$70 million (US$2.1 million) budget set aside for the General Political Warfare Bureau over the slogan change.
KMT Legislator Lin Teh-fu (林德福) said KMT legislators strongly opposed the change to the long-used front-page slogan.
Lin said that Minister of National Defense Lee Tien-yu (李天羽) had told the committee that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) had ordered the military to change the slogan. As Chen is the commander-in-chief, the military had to obey the order, Lin quoted Lee as saying.
KMT Legislator Su Chi (蘇起) said Chen's order sought to promote the independence movement within the military.
KMT legislators asked the publication to reinstate its old slogan, or the bureau's budget would continue to be blocked.
DPP Legislator Tang Huo-shen (湯火聖) told the meeting the DPP would support the budget.
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