Lawmakers across party lines yesterday questioned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ (MOFA) practice of covering the expenses of 13 legislative aides during an inspection trip to the US.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) told a press conference that the legislature seldom slashed the ministry’s budget requests because of the nation’s diplomatic difficulties.
However, MOFA should spend its budget on what really matters instead of paying for legislative aides’ tours abroad, he said.
At a separate setting, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said the 13 aides should all be required to file a report when they return to Taiwan.
The Chinese-language United Daily News reported yesterday that the ministry had been arranging “free” inspection trips for aides working for the Foreign and National Defense Committee during legislative recesses since the fall session in 2008.
Thirteen legislative assistants recently left for the US and Canada on a 10-day inspection trip on how Taiwanese nationals should seek help during emergencies abroad, the report said.
The ministry spent NT$1.5 million (US$46,670) of its budget earmarked for enhancing communications to fully subsidize the tour, the report said.
Tsui Ching-lin (崔靜麟), MOFA’s chief liaison officer with the legislature, confirmed the story but defended the subsidy, saying the practice dates back to when Lee Tung-hui (李登輝) was president.
MOFA spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政) said the ministry took the initiative to arrange the trip to let legislative aides obtain first-hand experience on how US and Canadian immigration and customs officials conduct inspections and how the ministry could help Taiwanese citizens if they encountered problems abroad.
The group will have a chance to talk to customs and immigration authorities as well as aviation police officers in airports in New York, Los Angeles and Vancouver to better understand customs procedures, Chen said.
Chen said the group was instructed to fly economy class and to share rooms in non five-star hotels, implying that the ministry did not squander any money.
During the second session of the current legislative term, the ministry also arranged for legislative assistants to visit the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia to learn how these governments issue visas for their citizens who plan to work in Taiwan, he said.
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