The Cabinet plans to minimize the budget for the symbolic Taiwan Provincial Government, Premier William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday.
Lai made the remarks during a question-and-answer session with New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
Lim showed Lai a screen grab from the introduction page of the provincial government’s English-language Web site, which refers to Taiwan as a “province,” which he said is confusing.
He asked Lai whether it is necessary to grant the agency, along with the Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council and the Fujian Provincial Government, a yearly budget of nearly NT$300 million (US$10.28 million), which he said is “wasteful,” considering that their work of giving awards, holding conferences, and promoting culture and traditions can also be done by the central or local governments.
While the Executive Yuan is not authorized to abolish the provincial government, which was set up according to the Constitution, he hopes that the provincial government’s budget could be minimized, Lai said.
The budget earmarked for the provincial government for the next fiscal year is to be decreased, and it would only be granted funding to perform necessary tasks, such as running service centers in Kinmen and Lienchiang counties, Lai said.
Asked whether he believes constitutional reform is important, the premier said that he believes that it is and pledged to move the task forward during Cabinet-level meetings.
Lim also asked Lai to address the issue of land allegedly occupied by former vice president Lien Chan’s (連戰) father, Lien Chen-tung (連震東), when he took over the Jen Chi Hospital from the Japanese colonial government, which he said has infringed upon nearby residents’ right to accommodation.
Rather than making the hospital in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華) a public foundation like it was during the Japanese colonial era, Lien Chen-tung, who was an official in charge of taking over facilities left behind by the Japanese government in Taipei after World War II, in 1945 privatized and occupied it, Lim said.
The land Lien Chen-tung allegedly took covers about 99,174m2, which is still controlled by the Lien family, he said.
Lim said he tried to search for any transaction records following the transfer of the hospital, but all he could find was an official document that showed that the hospital had apparently been occupied by the Lien family.
More than 1,000 residents from about 300 households adjacent to the hospital live in dilapidated houses, but the hospital’s management has allegedly told residents who want to initiate an urban renewal project to either make a large donation to the hospital in exchange for its consent to carry out a project or accept urban renewal plans proposed by the hospital, which contain terms that are unfavorable to residents, Lim said.
The hospital’s bullying of residents threatens their safety, he said.
Lim asked Lai how the Cabinet would deal with assets illegally obtained by individuals or organizations that do not represent any political party, as they are not covered by the Act Governing the Handling of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations (政黨及其附隨組織不當取得財產處理條例).
Lai said that he would instruct responsible agencies to investigate the case and report to Lim.
The hospital, as a private foundation, should uphold civic ethics and help residents solve accommodation problems before the investigation is complete, the premier said.
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