Opposition lawmakers yesterday accused the Ministry of Culture of disproportionately allocating money from its creative industry investment fund to projects in which show business mogul Wang Wei-chung (王偉忠) is involved.
Wang, one of the most influential agents and producers in the nation’s entertainment industry, received at least NT$83 million (US$2.85 million) of the National Development Fund’s (NDF) total investment of NT$300 million in the industry for his projects, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) and Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Lin Shih-chia (林世嘉) told a joint press conference.
“We recognize Wang’s expertise in the show business, but we also would like to ask: Is he the only one in Taiwan who’s worthy of all that investment?” Lee said.
Photo: Sean Chao, Taipei Times
The ministry invested the fund’s NT$300 million in 14 projects of 12 venture capital companies and Wang served as board members in several of the companies involved, the lawmakers said.
TC-1 Culture Fund, of which Wang serves as a board member, was granted four of the 14 projects and invested NT$22 million in Huan-hsing Entertainment and NT$35 million in South Island Film Inc.
Wang serves on the board of directors of both companies, Lee said.
Jifu Culture Creative Investment, one of the 12 venture capital companies, invested NT$8 million in Huang-hsing.
Another company securing investment from the NDF, Polyface Investment Management, invested NT$81 million in a film company and collaborated with Wang on a film, Lee said, adding that TC-1 Culture Fund invested NT$18 million in Magic Alley Entertainment, at which Wang also serves as a board member, in another project.
The ministry violated regulations by not sending people to serve on the boards of directors in the companies with investment from the 12 venture capital funds, said Lin, who first raised questions about Wang’s involvement in the projects in April.
Award-winning screenwriter Neil Peng (馮光遠) told the press conference that he did not oppose the ministry’s investment in the culture creative industry, but “transparency is the key word.”
“It’s sad to see the government budget on cultural development being wasted this way and it puzzles me that certain people always secure subsidies and investment from the government,” Peng said.
The ministry responded to the allegations with a press release later yesterday that said its entire process of grants for creative industry projects was done according to law.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all