TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan is like a car that cannot move because it has run out of gasoline, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Wednesday in a criticism of deep budget cuts approved by the opposition.
The KMT and TPP used their majority at the Legislative Yuan Tuesday to push through cuts totaling NT$207.5 billion (US$6.33 billion) in the NT$3.13 trillion central government spending budget for this year. A wide range of ministries have complained the cuts will harm their operations.
At a meeting of the DPP leadership which he chairs, Lai expressed his regret over the chaotic way in which the Legislative Yuan passed the budget, the Liberty Times reported. The outcome left Taiwan like a car without gas, or like a kitchen where the ingredients for the meal had arrived but there was no gas, water or electricity to cook the food.
Competition between political parties should not harm the national interest and the rights of the people, Lai said. He added the process of voting for the budget had been chaotic, with some lawmakers only able to read proposals after they had been voted, or texts being withdrawn during the vote.
The president said that of the NT$3.13 trillion budget, only NT$1.27 trillion could be used by the central government because the majority consisted of salaries and legally mandated expenditures. The opposition-backed cuts affected a wide range of sectors, from defense and law enforcement to healthcare and culture, according to Lai.