Taiwanese lawmaker's proposed cuts to publicity funds spark outrage

A proposal by opposition legislator Weng Hsiao-ling to slash publicity budgets for 13 government agencies has ignited a political firestorm, with critics accusing her of undermining Taiwan's cultural promotion efforts. Weng's motion, which suggests eliminating publicity funds entirely, was met with strong opposition from ruling party legislator Chen Pei-yu.

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The government agencies originally don't need to spend money on publicity.

Chen argued that the cuts would cripple the promotion of significant cultural events and initiatives. She specifically cited the Golden Melody Awards, Taiwan's premier music awards, and the popular "cultural points" program, which encourages citizens to engage with the arts. Without adequate funding for publicity, Chen warned, these events and programs could face a severe lack of public awareness and participation.

"The government agencies originally don't need to spend money on publicity," Weng reportedly stated, a remark that Chen characterized as out of touch and dismissive of the crucial role publicity plays in cultural outreach. Chen further accused Weng of exploiting her position, suggesting that such actions would delight the Chinese Communist Party by weakening Taiwan's cultural influence and soft power.

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For the sake of letting the minister 'work a little less,' I am willing to take a step back and only cut 47 million NT dollars, leaving 380,000 for the minister to spend.

Chen highlighted that the cuts would impact a wide range of government bodies, including the Executive Yuan, Mainland Affairs Council, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Culture, among others. She lamented that important events like the Taipei International Book Exhibition, film festivals, and promotional activities for Taiwanese culture abroad would suffer, as would efforts to promote the use of cultural points and publicize anti-scalping mechanisms for concerts.

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The blue and white parties accuse the Ministry of Culture of 'subsidizing specific political stances and buying media placements' are all baseless slander. From beginning to end, the so-called evidence they presented was either pieced together or misattributed.

This dispute unfolds against the backdrop of a prolonged budget debate, with the general budget having been delayed for over 300 days. Chen vowed to defend the efforts of cultural workers, stating that regardless of how many proposals Weng introduces, she will fight to ensure that Taiwan's cultural sector receives the necessary support for promotion and international engagement.

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Only politicians who are too familiar with the KMT's authoritarian rule and martial law era practices would think that others are doing what they themselves have done.