The legislature’s Economics Committee yesterday approved a preliminary review of the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program yesterday, despite protests and objections by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers.
The eight-year program aims to allocate NT$880 billion (US$29.18 billion) for several infrastructure projects, including urban and rural infrastructure, “green” energy, digital infrastructure, water works and railway extensions.
KMT lawmakers continued their efforts to block the review when the committee meeting opened at 9am, urging fellow members to file a motion to dismiss the meeting, while chanting “invalid meeting” and saying it did not comply with proper procedures.
Photo: CNA
KMT Legislator Alicia Wang (王育敏) told reporters that “nearly 60 percent of Taiwanese” hope the Cabinet would withdraw the bill and propose a new one.
As a legislative official recited the log from the previous meeting, KMT lawmakers repeatedly shouted “objection,” splashing water and throwing counterfeit money at the rostrum, where more than 10 Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers stood guard.
However, DPP lawmakers were determined to make a breakthrough yesterday after the KMT’s stalling tactics over the past two months.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
DPP Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩), a committee convener, rejected a KMT motion to adjourn the meeting and announced that cross-caucus negotiations to restart a substantive review would start.
Chiu’s move prompted an angry reaction from KMT caucus convener Sufin Siluko (廖國棟), who flipped a table over and said the meeting was invalid.
Apart from concerns about procedural problems, Siluko said the budget should be reduced to NT$500 billion and shortened to four years.
Without any comprehensive policy assessment, the budget allocation is just an effort to funnel money toward DPP-ruled municipalities, KMT lawmakers have said.
New Power Party (NPP) caucus convener Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) accused the KMT of putting on a show, with the net result of the proposal passing review without rigorous scrutiny by opposition parties.
Because of the KMT’s unreasonable boycott, government officials were not able to approach the podium to answer questions about the proposal, Hsu wrote on Facebook.
The NPP prefers an article-by-article examination of the bill, but “KMT lawmakers easily gave up their rights to supervise government policies,” Hsu wrote.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
RSS