The legislature yesterday temporarily shelved the fiscal 2001 special budget for post-earthquake reconstruction presented by the Executive Yuan, after opposition lawmakers criticized the budget as "rash and careless."
A main focus of concern was that up to one quarter of the projected spending -- totaling NT$26.31 billion -- has not been allocated to specific plans.
The high percentage of personnel, travel and business spending covered by the budget bill -- constituting up to 40 percent of the total -- was another aspect that caused raised eyebrows among lawmakers.
"This has never happened in the history of the ROC. There has never been a budget bill that is as slipshod as this one," said KMT Legislator Wong Chung-chun (翁重鈞).
According to a report presented to the legislature by Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
That amount includes NT$1.47 billion of general administrative spending; NT$7.76 billion of education, science and culture spending; NT$17.95 billion of economic development spending; NT$3.04 billion of social welfare spending; NT$43.48 billion of community development and environmental protection spending; and NT$26.31 billion of general subsidies and other spending.
Opposition lawmakers were quick to suspect that this NT$26.31 billion, which is categorized as a reserve fund, is a "pork barrel" fund designed to finance requests for local improvements by politicians who can campaign for the DPP in the year-end legislative and local government elections.
Chang said in response that NT$20.9 billion of this money has in fact been designated for specific projects.
"As this NT$20.9 billion has not been finalized, where it is going has not been noted in the budget bill. Only around NT$5.4 billion will actually be put into a reserve fund," Chang explained.
Lin Chuan (
Unconvinced by Chang's and Lin's explanation, the opposition legislators insisted that no reserve fund should appear in a special budget.
New Party Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (
"Even with so much money available, the Executive Yuan still doesn't know how to spend it. That it hasn't been able to plan the budget is the most ridiculous thing of all," Lai said.
While the NT$20.9 billion may be kept if the Executive Yuan is able to say where it will be spent, the remaining NT$5.4 billion should be removed from the bill, Lai said.
Originally, the budget bill was supposed to be referred to the legislature's Budgets and Final Accounts Committee for review after Chang's report to and questioning by legislators.
Because of the lawmakers' doubts, the process was postponed temporarily. Inter-party negotiations are expected to be held soon to sort out how they are going to deal with the bill.
It is likely that the opposition will demand the Executive Yuan present a detailed list concerning the spending of the NT$20.9 billion.
Another possibility is that the Executive Yuan may well be asked to present another bill to the legislature.
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