Wed, Sep 27, 2000 page3

• Budget bill is placed on Legislative Yuan agenda

  PARTY POLITICS The KMT legislative caucus agreed to place the fiscal 2001 bill on the agenda, but only after Cabinet members clarified their criticism of the KMT

  • By Stephanie Low / STAFF REPORTER
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  The central government's budget bill for fiscal 2001 finally made its way onto the legislative agenda yesterday after the majority KMT decided to "conditionally" drop its effort to obstruct the bill's passage.

  Legislators voted 129 to eight, with seven abstentions, to ratify a plan to invite Premier Tang Fei (唐飛), Lin Chuan (林全), director-general of the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, and Minister of Finance Shea Jia-dong (許嘉棟) to present the budget bill to the legislature and accept interpellation on the bill from legislators.

  The legislature's procedure committee has set this Friday as the date for presentation of the budget.

  The interpellation session will follow immediately after the presentation and is expected to last two weeks, after which the budget bill will be referred to committees for review.

  Presentation of the budget bill had been delayed for two weeks, largely due to opposition from the KMT caucus.

  The KMT had refused to allow the presentation of the budget to proceed, saying the government had not cut costs by NT$510 billion as some Cabinet members had claimed they would.

  KMT legislators had demanded that some Cabinet officials appear before the legislature to explain their cost-cutting promises and remarks insinuating that the former KMT government had been wasteful and corrupt.

  In addition to Lin Chuan, KMT legislators also wanted to hear from Chen Ding-nan (陳定南), minister of justice; Lin Chia-cheng (林嘉誠), chairman of the ministerial-level Research, Development and Evaluation Commission; and Lin Neng-pai (林能白), chairman of the ministerial-level Public Construction Commission.

  Reporting to the KMT caucus on Monday, the four officials admitted that their remarks were not based on accurate calculations and that they had not meant to criticize the KMT.

  The KMT caucus agreed to let the issue slide, though a few members, led by Chen Ching-pao (陳清寶) insisted that the officials apologize for their remarks.

  Despite opposition from Chen Ching-pao and seven other legislators, a majority of legislators voted yesterday to give the green light to the presentation of the budget bill.

  Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), one of the KMT lawmakers who until yesterday opposed presentation of the budget, said that the indignant opposition led by Chen Ching-pao was "symbolic" and was intended to remind government officials to watch what they say.

  "We are glad to see the budget bill enter the legislative agenda. Through the opposition of a small minority, we hope to remind the government officials to mind their words in the future," Lu said.

  Lu said another reason behind the move was to show the legislators' disapproval of the "careless" and "inaccurate" way in which the budget bills were drafted.

  Wong Chung-chun (翁重鈞), another KMT legislator, said that although the KMT had relented, it would only let the budget bills move on to committees for review under certain conditions.

  Wong said Premier Tang should promise to take steps to make the spending plan more transparent, included completing the allocation of NT$9.4 billion in tax revenues for local governments and providing detailed allocation criteria for a NT$97 billion subsidy fund for local governments.

  The government, ruled by the DPP, which is a minority party in the Legislative Yuan, had two previous versions of its fiscal budget for next year rejected last week.
• Most Popular

  • 1

    Taiwan to purchase 28 more HIMARS

  • 2

    Three former employees of TSMC detained

  • 3

    Jobe Bellingham says he’s anxious about following Jude at Borussia Dortmund

  • 4

    Magnitude 5.5 aftershocks possible after 6.2 quake

  • 5

    Taipei tops list of cities with ‘highest staying power’