RDX procurement exposed: Timeline reveals legislator first posted 'Indian explosives'

Taiwan's National Defense Ministry faces accusations of manipulating the timeline surrounding the procurement of RDX explosive raw materials, with a legislator allegedly being the first to reveal India as the source country. This revelation has reportedly led to the procurement's failure, a situation described as "seeing the light of day and dying" (見光死).

Legislator Ma Wen-chun of the Kuomintang party is accused by informed sources of exposing India as the origin of the RDX raw materials in a social media post and press conference before the manufacturer officially disclosed this information. The sources claim that the bid award announcement on December 10 did not specify the country of origin, but Ma Wen-chun's Facebook post on December 11, complete with an image labeled "Indian explosives," was the earliest public disclosure of the source.

According to the timeline provided by informed sources, Ma Wen-chun and fellow legislators held a press conference on December 12 questioning the manufacturer, Fomax. Three days later, on December 14, Fomax issued a statement clarifying that only China and India have RDX production capabilities, reportedly to protect its reputation and respond to accusations about the procurement's source shifting between the US and India. Ma Wen-chun then scheduled a special report at the Legislative Yuan's Foreign and National Defense Committee on December 15, inquiring about potential impacts on Indian exports.

Critics accuse Ma Wen-chun and her party of fabricating a narrative, claiming the manufacturer "voluntarily disclosed" the information and that the bid was awarded before her questioning. They argue that Ma Wen-chun's actions, including exposing sensitive national security information for political gain and then distorting the timeline to cover up the facts, are inappropriate for a legislator. The situation is seen as detrimental to national security and the public interest.