Taiwanese legislators cut budget, harming sheltered workshops for people with disabilities

Taiwanese legislators have cut NT$30 million from the presidential office's discretionary funds, a move that has significantly impacted sheltered workshops across the island. The decision, spearheaded by KMT legislator Weng Hsiao-ling, jeopardizes 15,000 mooncake orders intended for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Chinese Association for Parents of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities strongly condemned the budget cut. In a Facebook post, the association urged Weng and other lawmakers to reconsider their actions. "Supervising the government is not wrong, but supervision cannot lose proportionality," the group stated. "Political attacks can be fierce, but they should not make the least politically empowered bear the cost."

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Supervising the government is not wrong, but supervision cannot lose proportionality; political attacks can be fierce, but they should not make the least politically empowered bear the cost.

The presidential office had previously explained that the budget was allocated for purchasing gifts from disadvantaged groups. Despite pleas from Deputy Secretary-General Ho Chih-wei to protect these vulnerable workers' interests, the budget was ultimately reduced and frozen. The association lamented that this decision goes beyond mere mooncake orders, directly affecting the opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in society through labor and to demonstrate their capabilities.

Each product from these workshops embodies the efforts and dignity of individuals with disabilities. The association emphasized that for these individuals, the budget cut could determine whether they can return to work and create value with their own hands. They issued a stern call to prevent political disputes from harming people with disabilities and to stop their right to work from becoming a political bargaining chip.

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No matter how barbaric, one should not 'knowingly delete'.