Lawyer calls legislator's budget cuts unconstitutional, suspects foreign influence

Kuomintang legislator Weng Hsiao-ling has proposed the complete deletion of media promotion budgets for at least 13 government ministries, including the Ministry of Culture's allocated 47.38 million NT dollars. Her approach involved a copy-paste proposal, targeting any budget item labeled "promotion expenses" without regard for the ministries' specific functions.

Lawyer Chen Chun-wei has strongly criticized Weng's actions, deeming the indiscriminate budget cuts unconstitutional. He has called for an investigation into whether Weng was acting under instructions from mainland China, suggesting that such actions could hinder Taiwan's international voice. Chen also proposed a public referendum to eliminate Weng's salary, arguing that taxpayers should not fund legislators who aim to undermine the country.

Chen cited previous constitutional interpretations by the Grand Justices (Judicial Yuan Interpretations No. 520 and 632), which establish principles of separation of powers and institutional loyalty. These interpretations stipulate that the Legislative Yuan's budget review power must adhere to constitutional principles and cannot be used to effectively deprive administrative agencies of their ability to perform their duties or paralyze their operations.

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Indiscriminate deletion of the budgets of 13 ministries is unconstitutional. I ask the investigation to see if there was instruction from the mainland. I also call on civic groups to launch a referendum to remove the salary of the unconstitutional legislator Weng Hsiao-ling.

Chen questioned who would benefit from Taiwan being unable to promote itself internationally, pointing to China as the likely beneficiary. He described Weng's actions as "brainless" and "irrational," expressing suspicion that she might be acting under external direction to silence Taiwan's international communication efforts.

The Legislative Yuan's Education and Culture Committee reviewed the Ministry of Culture's budget on July 2nd. Weng's proposal to cut the media promotion budget has sparked significant debate regarding the appropriate use of legislative power and its potential impact on government operations and Taiwan's international standing.

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This brainless, irrational phenomenon makes even normal people find it absurd, making one highly suspect whether it was directed by the other side, preventing Taiwan from doing any publicity.