Taiwan Legislator's Threat to Freeze Premier's Salary Sparks Criminal Offense Concerns

A contentious political maneuver by Kuomintang (KMT) legislator Weng Hsiao-ling, who has threatened to freeze Premier Cho Jung-tai's salary for an entire year, has ignited debate and drawn sharp criticism. Taiwan Youth Generation Association for Common Good Chairman Chang Yu-meng slammed Weng's proposal, asserting that her understanding of legal principles is consistently unusual and that her actions might be crossing into criminal territory. Chang argued on Facebook that while Weng claims the Legislative Budget Act allows for conditional budget attachments, and that Cho could unfreeze his salary by endorsing her proposed bill, this is a misinterpretation. He stated that salaries paid to civil servants constitute a "legal obligation." Chang pointed to Article 129 of the Criminal Code, which clearly defines "withholding or deducting" payments due to public officials as a punishable offense, carrying a penalty of up to seven years in prison. Chang questioned why Weng would target civil servants' salaries specifically, when she could propose cuts to other budgets. He recalled that when Cho's salary was frozen for four months earlier in the year, the Executive Yuan responded firmly, stating they would not abandon their constitutional duties for financial reasons. Executive Yuan spokesperson Lee Hui-chih had previously stated, "The Executive Yuan's defense of the constitution is never a choice, but a responsibility."

“

Weng Hsiao-ling's legal common sense is always different from ordinary people, and it may have already crossed the line of criminal offense.