Ruling party legislator slams opposition's 'vendetta' against drones, says budget freeze kills industry

A ruling party legislator has strongly criticized the opposition's proposal to freeze a significant budget allocated for the drone industry, arguing that such a move is tantamount to its destruction. DPP caucus whip Chuang Jui-hsiung stated on Wednesday that the opposition's shift from proposing a full deletion to a freeze of the Executive Yuan's six-year, 44.2 billion New Taiwan dollar budget for unmanned vehicle development reveals their true stance.

"The KMT really has a vendetta against drones!" Chuang exclaimed, referencing a previous instance where the opposition significantly reduced related items in military procurement regulations. He argued that freezing the entire budget, regardless of the opposition's claims of supporting the industry, effectively halts its development and signals its demise. Chuang stressed that any budget reduction, whether a cut or a freeze, leads to the industry's elimination.

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The KMT really has a vendetta against drones!

Chuang further questioned the opposition's rationale behind their initial proposal to delete the budget and the conditions under which they would agree to unfreeze it. He asserted that the opposition's actions, which contradict their verbal support for the drone industry, harm its genuine development and will not be understood by the public. The legislator urged the opposition to clearly explain their motivations and the criteria for unfreezing the funds, emphasizing that their inconsistent actions damage the industry.

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Any action that affects the budget, whether it's a cut or a freeze, is equivalent to declaring that this industry should be zeroed out.