Amid verbal clashes and table pounding, the legislature's Organic Laws and Statutes Committee yesterday began reviewing the Presidential Office's budget for next year.
The meeting got off to a bad start when Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Chia-chin (
At the time, the committee resolved to condemn Yeh and referred her to the Control Yuan for correction or impeachment.
Yeh said yesterday that she had simply followed constitutional precedent, according to which the Presidential Office secretary-general attends legislative committee meetings only when the office's budget or legislation concerning the office is reviewed.
Leaping to Yeh's defense, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Tuoh (
respect
Lee then asked Wang to respect the committee and ask for permission before speaking.
Pounding on the table, Wang called Lee a "despotic bully" and said that, constitutionally, the Presidential Office does not need to answer to the Legislative Yuan.
DPP Legislator Chen Hsien-chung (
Chen was later allowed to speak, but one hour was taken up with bickering before committee members were able to question Yeh and other officials about the budget.
The question-and-answer session was tough going for Yeh as lawmakers gave her little time opportunity to respond to their questions.
The Presidential Office projected next year's revenues at more than NT$817,000 (US$25,000) and expenditure at NT$1.3 billion. The expenses figures represents growth of 16.9 percent from last year.
Revenues of other agencies that are supervised by the Presidential Office -- the National Security Council, Academia Sinica, Academia Historica and Taiwan Historica -- were projected at NT$114 million with expenditures totaling NT$11 billion.
Among the Presidential Office's major expenses is the inauguration ceremony for the new president; estimated at NT$99.5 million, not including reception and decoration fees.
state affairs fund
The Presidential Office plans to increase the new president's "state affairs fund" from NT$30 million to NT$50 million. The purchase of six new vehicles for the new president, vice president, their spouses and entourage are estimated to cost NT$35 million.
Opposition lawmakers including KMT Legislator Joanna Lei (
DPP Legislator Hsieh Hsin-ni (
KMT Legislator Lee Ching-hua (
Yeh said the office will celebrate the National Day of the Republic of China, but added that the republic includes only the land inhabited by the 23 million Taiwanese -- and not Outer Mongolia and China as claimed by the former KMT regime.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
RSS