A plan by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to file 5,000 legislative motions to stall the budget review of the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program has been criticized by lawmakers from other parties, who called for a rational debate of the program.
The Executive Yuan is to present the program’s first budget tomorrow and the budget review is planned to begin on Thursday, with Premier Lin Chuan (林全) scheduled to make a formal report to the Legislative Yuan.
The KMT caucus has threatened to disrupt the review process with procedural and non-procedural tactics by tabling 5,000 motions to cut the budget and obstruct the premier’s speech.
Pan-blue camp supporters have been accusing KMT lawmakers of compromising with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) following the passage of the Special Act on the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program (前瞻基礎建設特別條例) on Wednesday.
The embattled KMT caucus is reportedly planning to mount a strong resistance during the budget review, with KMT lawmakers threatening “bloodshed.”
The KMT caucus reportedly ordered lawmakers to prepare a large number of motions to be filed during the review to obstruct the budget’s passage, with KMT caucus whip Lin Te-fu (林德福) saying that the premier would be prevented from making a formal speech if there is no substantial change to the budget.
The Cabinet plans to allocate NT$17 billion (US$555.37 million) for the railway projects in the program — not a cent less than the original budget, although the Legislative Yuan cut the program’s budget from NT$882.49 billion over eight years to NT$420 billion over four years, KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) said.
“It constitutes a contempt of the legislature and a strict review is absolutely necessary,” Lin Wei-chou said.
Calling on the KMT to exercise restraint and engage in a rational debate, DPP caucus secretary-general Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) said the premier is legally required to make a formal report to the Legislative Yuan for major budget proposals.
“Any opposition to the budget can be rationally lodged during the budget review, but an emotional boycott of the budget debate is unnecessary,” Lee said.
The DPP caucus is to request an extraordinary legislative session after a general caucus meeting on Wednesday and a plenary session could begin on Thursday afternoon to allow the premier to make a formal report, he said.
New Power Party caucus convener Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) said the act lays out a general framework of the program, which can be reviewed in detail.
The KMT’s tactics have proven to be ineffective and the party should engage in a factual review of budget proposals, Hsu said.
People First Party caucus convener Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) said the KMT would be contradicting itself if it attempts to boycott the budget review while agreeing to approve the act.
The KMT should have been more vociferous in its opposition during the review of the act, and since the act has been passed, the KMT should conduct a careful examination of the budget, he said.
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