Lawmaker's Budget Cuts Spark Outcry Over Political Infighting

Legislator Weng Hsiao-ling has proposed the complete deletion of the Ministry of Culture's NT$47.38 million media and publicity budget for the current year. She also submitted a proposal to cut the media and publicity budget for the ministry's Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development by 60%, amounting to NT$3.678 million. These proposals follow Weng's earlier significant reduction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' media policy and business promotion expenses.

Times Power Party Chairwoman Wang Wan-yu strongly criticized Weng's actions, stating that while budget review is a legislative duty, supervision should not devolve into malicious cuts. She argued that proposals to freeze or reduce budgets should serve policy objectives, not be used to paralyze administrative agencies through political infighting.

"We cannot allow political infighting to completely eliminate budgets and paralyze administrative agencies," Wang stated in an interview. She emphasized that this is a basic understanding every legislator should possess. Wang recalled that the previous budget review saw similar "absurd actions" from the Kuomintang party, which she described as a "civics lesson" for the public on budget scrutiny. If Weng has not learned from that experience, Wang suggested, it indicates a lack of genuine intent to supervise.

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We cannot allow political infighting to completely eliminate budgets and paralyze administrative agencies.