Taiwan Culture Minister Accuses Opposition of 'Destroying Culture' Amid Budget Cuts

Taiwan's Ministry of Culture faces a significant budget cut for media promotion for the second year running, sparking a heated exchange between the ruling and opposition parties. The Legislative Yuan recently approved the national budget, completely eliminating the Ministry of Culture's NT$47.38 million media promotion fund, reducing Public Television Service funding by NT$21.85 million, and slashing Taiwan Plus's budget by NT$200 million.

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To destroy a nation, first destroy its culture.

Culture Minister Lee Yung expressed dismay, initially questioning the complete deletion of the media promotion budget. He later stated, "To destroy a nation, first destroy its culture," suggesting this was part of a "terrible plan" by the opposition coalition. This statement drew sharp criticism from opposition lawmakers.

KMT legislators Luo Ting-wei, Luo Chih-chiang, and Yeh Yu-lan accused Lee of escalating oversight into accusations of "destroying the nation, the people, and culture." They argued that questioning the Ministry of Culture does not equate to harming Taiwanese culture and that the minister was evading accountability. Luo Ting-wei stated that the government's role is to foster a better cultural environment, not to claim ownership of culture or label critics as enemies.

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Escalating supervision into 'destroying the nation, the people, and culture,' as if questioning the Ministry of Culture means harming Taiwanese culture.

Luo Chih-chiang criticized Lee for invoking "national destruction" and accused the ruling party of arrogance, refusing self-reflection, and resorting to political attacks. He questioned the effectiveness of Taiwan Plus, which has consumed nearly NT$10 billion over eight years with poor results, and asked if its budget should not be scrutinized. Yeh Yu-lan dismissed Lee's claims as "cognitive warfare" and "nonsense," pointing to issues like excessively high production costs for some Taiwan Plus programs and the remote work arrangement of a senior editor.

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This once again shows the arrogance of officials in the DPP government: refusing self-reflection and improvement, only blaming others and smearing legislators.

Opposition lawmakers contend that the Ministry of Culture, with a budget of nearly NT$30 billion, should not react so drastically to cuts totaling around NT$1 billion. They argue that instead of political maneuvering, Lee should present reform plans and demonstrate effectiveness to justify the budget. The debate highlights a deep divide over cultural funding, government accountability, and the role of legislative oversight.

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Minister Lee says Taiwanese culture will be destroyed just because about NT$1 billion was cut from the Ministry of Culture's budget of nearly NT$30 billion. This is cognitive warfare and nonsense.