The opposition’s proposal to repurpose NT$150 billion (US$5.2 billion) of the special budget, previously allocated for whole-of-society defense resilience, as cash handouts was “completely unacceptable and irresponsible,” Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday.
The Legislative Yuan is today to decide how to allocate the NT$410 billion special budget approved by the Cabinet to enhance national security and boost economic resilience in the face of US tariffs.
However, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) proposed using NT$150 billion of that budget for NT$10,000 cash handouts, which the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said was a bid to swing the upcoming recall votes targeting KMT lawmakers.
Photo courtesy of the Executive Yuan
Speaking at a news conference after a meeting at the Executive Yuan in Taipei, Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) quoted Cho as saying that slashing the budget would burden the public with the cost of maintaining basic supplies and homeland security — duties the government ought to bear.
The national budget must be seen as a whole, and there must be no gaps in the national security network, she quoted him as saying.
The DPP said that the proposal by the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party would sacrifice Taiwan’s national security, economic stability and international standing.
That is exactly how the opposition “sells out Taiwan,” the DPP said.
The NT$150 billion is intended to be used to improve defense storage capabilities, cybersecurity and maritime surveillance, said DPP Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋), a member of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
Scrapping the budget would send the wrong message to the international community and could cause Taiwan to face sanctions, while dealing with tariffs and origin fraud, he added.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement that it would use NT$115.1 billion of the budget to build mobile and backup information and communications infrastructure to be used by the military and civilians.
That would include expanding satellite leases, updating servers, establishing cloud-based mobile information networks, and bolstering cybersecurity defense, it said.
Mobile command posts and microwave technology would also be implemented in all combat zones and in Wuciou Township (烏坵) in Kinmen County, the ministry said.
A shared information and intelligence platform would then be built using radar data provided by the Coast Guard Administration, the army and the navy, it said.
The budget would also be used to improve emergency repair capabilities for fiber optic networks to ensure stable communications and that connections can be restored swiftly after disruptions, it added.
The military also seeks to enhance preparedness by increasing stockpiles of spare parts, fuel and drinking water, while upgrading storage facilities and engineering equipment, the ministry said.
The initiatives would improve the military’s ability to respond to China’s “gray zone” tactics and sustain operations, it said.
Military training grounds would be upgraded to meet increasing needs for new equipment, reserve forces and wartime simulation training programs, it said.
The annual budget alone is insufficient to counter possible threats amid regional instability and intimidation, the ministry said.
The special budget is required to concentrate resources, prioritize construction and enable rapid procurement, which in turn, enables Taiwan to maintain military strength at critical moments, stimulate the domestic economy, and build a safe and resilient nation, it added.
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