Two Cold War-era anti-communist non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that have been deemed to be obsolete by the pan-green camp might face defunding in the upcoming legislative budget review.
The government’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year has been delivered to the legislature for review after an earlier version was retracted last month due to the appointment of a new premier.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested NT$26.28 billion (US$865.2 million) for its unclassified and NT$1.56 billion for its classified spending next year.
It is the highest classified-spending budget requested by the ministry in five years and represents a nearly fourfold increase from last year’s NT$463 million.
The ministry planned to allocate NT$17.72 million and NT$3.83 million to the World League for Freedom and Democracy (WLFD) and the Asian Pacific League for Freedom and Democracy (APLFD) for next year respectively, despite criticism that they are ineffective and opaque organizations, drawing lawmakers’ attention.
The two organizations’ budgets were nearly rescinded last year in accordance with a proposal by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers, who later agreed to a conditional budget unfreezing.
The organizations were established to join efforts by democracies around the world to promote freedom and democratic values during a period of anti-communism, DPP Legislator Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) said.
“Since Taiwan is now a free and democratic nation, the agencies have lost their reason for existence. They are merely icing on the cake and cannot be used for diplomatic purposes,” Liu said.
Liu said she is to submit a motion to cut the organizations’ planned budgets entirely to allow the money to return to the ministry.
Issues such as party and parliamentary diplomacy should be handled by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, an NGO fully funded by the legislature to facilitate democratization in Asia and around the world, she added.
Founded in 1954, the APLFD is an international organization aimed at fighting communism. Its members include the Republic of China, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Macau and others.
Building upon the APLFD, a larger network called the World League for Freedom and Democracy was established in 1967 with participation from 64 nations and 12 anti-communism organizations. It later changed its name to the WLFD.
Former Presidential Office secretary-general Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) and former deputy legislative speaker Yao Eng-chi (饒穎奇) serve as APLFD council chairman and WLFD president respectively.
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