President of Academia Sinica (
Speaker of the Legislative Yuan Wang Jin-ping (王金平) has contacted Lin Chuan (林全), director-general of the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS,主計處), asking for assistance in seeking a resolution for possible operational difficulties Academia Sinica may encounter as a result of the budget cut.
The legislature approved this year's budget on the last day of the legislative session early Thursday morning. The legislature had decided to hold the allocation of approximately NT$4.4 billion for research projects proposed by the research institute.
The institute had asked for about NT$5.1 billion for fiscal 2001.
The budget will not be allocated until Lee delivers a report to the legislature during the next legislative session in mid-February.
Lee said the lawmaker's decision was "unfortunate." He said legislators "probably did not know how damaging their decision to Academia Sinica was when voting at midnight."
Lee said the most negative impact of the legislature's decision was the possible delay of research projects regarding genome research.
"The decoding of the DNA sequence of the entire human genome has been accomplished. If we do not try to compete with our counterparts worldwide now, we won't be given a second chance," he said.
Academia Sinica had planned to establish its genome research center this year.
Lee hopes legislators will approve the institute's research funds. He appealed to them not to let politics get in the way of many critical research projects.
Wang said he had told Lee that "the problem is not that serious. A postponement of two months is acceptable."
DPP lawmaker Chen Zao-nan (
Lee supported President Chen Shui-bian (
Academia Sinica researchers were to hold a press conference to express their anger over their budget being cut. Wang, however, suggested the institute "not provoke the legislature."
"Besides, the legislature has the right to cut the budgets of all departments and agencies. Lawmakers must have had a reason for making such a decision," he said.
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