Legislators withheld approval yesterday for part of the budget requested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over allegations of electioneering, a claim that was flatly denied by Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂).
The budget requests for the 2015 fiscal year have “absolutely nothing” to do with any elections, Lin told the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee.
Despite Lin’s statement, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator (DPP) Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉), the committee chairman, said after consultations with committee members that NT$20 million (US$658,000) will be frozen pending a special report to justify the need for the money.
The money is part of an annual increase of NT$58.4 million in the budget requested for the ministry’s Department of North American Affairs, which is responsible for relations with the US and Canada.
The ministry has requested a total of NT$22.2 billion for fiscal year 2015, which covers the 12-month period beginning on July 1 next year. The next presidential and legislative elections are due to be held in early 2016.
Opposition legislators took issue with the increase coming when most government agencies have taken belt-tightening measures.
In particular, they expressed concerns that foreign visitors invited to Taiwan using those funds could influence voters.
DPP Legislator Mark Chen (陳唐山), a former foreign minister, said that academics from important US think tanks often come to Taiwan when there is a major election.
“The comments made by some of them on Taiwan’s elections are not fair,” Chen said.
Chen and DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) demanded a list of specific academics the ministry intends to invite.
On the other hand, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) spoke against cutting any funding meant for improving relations with the US.
Relations with the US remain Taiwan’s most important diplomatic issue, no matter which party is in power, Lin said. He urged lawmakers to keep their hands off the budget requested.
Withholding approval for a ministry’s budget is a tactic used by lawmakers to show reservations of government policies or simply to punish officials. In some cases, the budget withheld is released later.
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