The Control Yuan yesterday said that it is seeking a constitutional interpretation and an injunction on the implementation of the central government’s general budget, as drastic cuts by the Legislative Yuan have left it with hardly any money to investigate or review government anomalies or public petitions, or even to pay utility bills.
The Control Yuan had budgeted NT$1.9 billion (US$57.58 million) for this fiscal year, including NT$800 million for personnel expenses and NT$240 million for operations. The general budget approved by the legislature in January gave it only NT$10 million for operating expenses, forcing it to halt many of its ongoing investigations.
The legislature last week rejected the Cabinet’s request for a reconsideration of the general budget.
Photo: CNA
With the drastic cuts, the Control Yuan is unable to pay utility fees, telecommunication expenses, postage and vehicle fuel fees, it said at a news conference in Taipei.
Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) has also asked the Control Yuan to propose plans to pay its electricity bills after missing payments for two months, it said.
“Some people say the Control Yuan is only pretending to be poor and miserable. That is simply not true,” Control Yuan Vice President Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) said, adding that its electricity would have been cut off if it had not negotiated with Taipower.
People who dislike the Control Yuan and want to abolish it should do so in line with procedures stated in the Constitution, rather than through budget cuts, Lee said.
“We handle an average of 15,000 petitions each year, 96 percent of which are filed by the public. Almost none of them concern any sensitive political issue. Not being able to address these petitions is a great loss to the people,” he said, adding that it would continue to accept public petitions despite its financial difficulties.
Due to the funding shortage, people cannot submit their petitions via videoconferencing and would soon be unable to do so by fax, Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) said.
Replies to people’s petitions would be sent via e-mail, he added.
Lee Chun-yi also listed other expenses that the Control Yuan cannot afford this year, including payments to specialists, translators and expert witnesses that are needed when investigating a case.
Nor can Control Yuan members visit sites in person to gather key evidence and statements from key witnesses, he said.
Tours around the nation for Control Yuan members to oversee the operations of local governments and receive petitions directly from the public have to be suspended as well, he said.
As a member of the International Ombudsman Institute, the Control Yuan is scheduled to host the annual conference for members of the Australasian and Pacific region this year, but the budget cuts would make it impossible to host the conference, tarnishing the country’s reputation, he said.
“Because of spending cuts, we have stopped authorizing the connection to the civil servant asset information database. Starting this month, civil servants who need to disclose assets they own have to collect the information themselves,” he said.
"Prosecutors and investigators who are obligated to disclose their assets are affected by the suspension of services,” he added.
Meanwhile, the platform for people to check political donations would stop operating after May 31, he said, adding that people must go to the Control Yuan to look for the information, he said.
Maintenance fees for the Control Yuan building — a historical site — and expenses for firefighting equipment, volunteers and cleaning custodians have all been cut, he said.
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