Following an increase in publicity budgets, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus would review the Executive Yuan’s budget report meticulously, party caucus secretary-general Lin Szu-ming (林思銘) said yesterday.
The Executive Yuan’s budget for “media publicity for government policies and measures” for next year increased sharply by NT$590 million (US$18.5 million), or 65.4 percent, from NT$900 million to NT$1.49 billion, he said.
The publicity budget for the Ministry of the Interior increased the most by NT$240 million, while those for the Executive Yuan and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications rose to NT$60 million and NT$50 million respectively, he said.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
The government might be squandering taxpayers’ money, he said, adding that the KMT caucus would cut unnecessary expenditures in the new legislative session.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administrations under former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and President William Lai (賴清德) used the publicity budget to fill the pockets of certain media and excluded other bidders from procurements, Lin said.
The DPP engages in political propaganda through the media, sugarcoating its “poor administration,” while using “trolls” to attack opposition parties, he said, adding that Taiwan is becoming a “green party state,” referring to the DPP’s colors.
Lin also said the opposition parties would strengthen their cooperation in the legislature in the wake of Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) alleged involvement in a scandal.
The KMT and TPP shared similar views on many bills during the previous legislative session, including budgets, laws and the evaluation of the executive branch’s personnel appointments, he said.
Ko’s case would not negatively affect the two parties’ cooperation in the new legislative session, he said.
Separately yesterday, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said the Executive Yuan’s budgets are planned according to legal procedures and timelines.
Chou said he would not allow bidders’ exclusion in procurement processes and would give special attention if there is such a problem.
Additional reporting by Wu Hsin-tien
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
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
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
RSS