Lawmaker's 'one draft, 13 cuts' budget proposal sparks criticism

Taiwanese legislator Hung Yu-chen's proposal to completely eliminate media promotion budgets for at least 13 central government ministries has ignited a fierce debate. She initially proposed deleting the Culture Ministry's NT$47.38 million media promotion budget, which was met with strong opposition. It was later discovered that she had used nearly identical proposals to target the media promotion funds of multiple other ministries, earning her the moniker "one draft, 13 cuts."

Veteran journalist Huang Wei-han sharply criticized Hung's approach, stating that simply deleting entire budgets does not constitute supervision. He argued that effective oversight involves identifying inflated or misused funds, prompting government agencies to operate more efficiently. Huang suggested that exposing corruption or illegal activities would be a more commendable act for a public servant.

"Cutting everything without looking is not supervision," Huang wrote on Facebook. "What technical skill does it require? Any ordinary citizen could do it." He questioned the courage required for such actions, especially considering the potential negative social and party image implications.

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Cutting everything without looking is not supervision. What technical skill does it require? Any ordinary citizen could do it.

Huang further pointed out the practical need for media promotion, citing a recent advertisement for a New Taipei City program encouraging students to drink fresh milk. He noted that producing and broadcasting such advertisements incurs costs. He questioned whether Hung, who advocates for eliminating government media promotion expenses, would also support the 14 counties governed by the Kuomintang party to cut their media promotion budgets entirely.

The controversy highlights a broader discussion in Taiwan about the methods and effectiveness of legislative oversight concerning government spending, particularly on public awareness campaigns.

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He asked whether Hung, who advocates for eliminating government media promotion expenses, would also support the 14 counties governed by the Kuomintang party to cut their media promotion budgets entirely.