The Ministry of Agriculture has estimated that agricultural losses caused by Typhoon Danas totaled NT$1.6 billion (US$54.72 million). During the last legislative session, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislators jointly cut the ministry’s budget for this year’s agricultural special income fund by NT$90 million, which would inevitably impact the government’s distribution of agricultural disaster relief funds.
Additionally, disaster relief funds, which fall under the agricultural special income fund, have in recent years consistently faced budget shortfalls due to frequent natural disasters. As a result, the ministry has had to apply for permission from the Executive Yuan to access allocations from the secondary reserve fund.
However, Article 22 of the Budget Act (預算法) states: “No reserve funds shall be used for any budget items deleted or budget amount cut down by the Legislative Yuan at the review unless used for Allocations for Legal Expenses or otherwise agreed upon by the Legislative Yuan.”
Therefore, if disaster relief funds were to run empty, it would be impossible to employ the secondary reserve fund to fill in budgetary gaps, which would lead to significant delays in relief fund disbursement. This raises the question — should farmers seek compensation from KMT and TPP legislators for the losses they suffer as a result of these budget cuts?
The agriculture ministry had proposed a budget of NT$169.2 billion for this year, but the Legislative Yuan cut NT$2 billion to eliminate the budget for items such as marketing and publicity, domestic and international travel expenses, and public budgets for supplementary funds.
Article 6 of the Agricultural Natural Disaster Relief Regulations (農業天然災害救助辦法) stipulates that — within seven days following a natural disaster — local agricultural authorities may consult with the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute to assist with conducting damage assessments.
Similarly, the operational guidelines for agricultural natural disaster relief require that random inspections be conducted by small teams composed of personnel from the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute and the Agriculture and Food Agency. With the travel budgets for these departments having been cut this year, how would on-site damage assessments be carried out? Are civil servants expected to pay for their own travel expenses?
KMT and TPP legislators arbitrarily slashed the budget, directly cutting disaster relief funds that provide the subsidies farmers urgently need. As a result, it would be impossible for farmers affected by natural disasters to resume work as soon as possible to sustain their livelihoods. KMT and TPP legislators have not only failed their constituents, but also brought shame to the office of legislators.
Yeh Yu-cheng is a secretary at the Pingtung County Public Health Bureau.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
Elbridge Colby, America’s Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, is the most influential voice on defense strategy in the Second Trump Administration. For insight into his thinking, one could do no better than read his thoughts on the defense of Taiwan which he gathered in a book he wrote in 2021. The Strategy of Denial, is his contemplation of China’s rising hegemony in Asia and on how to deter China from invading Taiwan. Allowing China to absorb Taiwan, he wrote, would open the entire Indo-Pacific region to Chinese preeminence and result in a power transition that would place America’s prosperity
A few weeks ago in Kaohsiung, tech mogul turned political pundit Robert Tsao (曹興誠) joined Western Washington University professor Chen Shih-fen (陳時奮) for a public forum in support of Taiwan’s recall campaign. Kaohsiung, already the most Taiwanese independence-minded city in Taiwan, was not in need of a recall. So Chen took a different approach: He made the case that unification with China would be too expensive to work. The argument was unusual. Most of the time, we hear that Taiwan should remain free out of respect for democracy and self-determination, but cost? That is not part of the usual script, and
All 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安), formerly of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), survived recall elections against them on Saturday, in a massive loss to the unprecedented mass recall movement, as well as to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that backed it. The outcome has surprised many, as most analysts expected that at least a few legislators would be ousted. Over the past few months, dedicated and passionate civic groups gathered more than 1 million signatures to recall KMT lawmakers, an extraordinary achievement that many believed would be enough to remove at
Behind the gloating, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) must be letting out a big sigh of relief. Its powerful party machine saved the day, but it took that much effort just to survive a challenge mounted by a humble group of active citizens, and in areas where the KMT is historically strong. On the other hand, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) must now realize how toxic a brand it has become to many voters. The campaigners’ amateurism is what made them feel valid and authentic, but when the DPP belatedly inserted itself into the campaign, it did more harm than good. The
RSS