The Control Yuan today said it has been “left with no choice” but to ask the Constitutional Court to rule on the constitutionality of the central government budget, after its operating expenses were slashed by 96 percent.
The Legislative Yuan in January cut the central government budget for this year, severely impacting the Control Yuan’s ability to exercise its constitutional duties and continue fundamental operations.
Control Yuan Vice President Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞), Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) and various department directors today held a news conference on the matter.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
The Control Yuan has “no way to move forward” amid the cuts and would file for a constitutional interpretation and a provisional injunction from the Constitutional Court once the president promulgates the budget, they said.
The Control Yuan has repeatedly issued news releases and convened news conferences to highlight the impact the cuts would have on operations, including property declarations, political donations, conflicts of interest, accepting public petitions, investigations, inspections and impeachments, they said.
The National Human Rights Commission has all but stopped operations, and although it had secured the right to host the annual conference of the International Ombudsman Institute this year, the event may be canceled due to insufficient funding, potentially damaging Taiwan’s credibility in the international community, they added.
Disputes over the budget are not merely a cross-partisan conflict, but a constitutional crisis, Lee Hung-chun said.
Directors of departments across the Control Yuan have been paying their own fuel expenses for government vehicles, Lee Chun-yi said.
Moreover, the Control Yuan has been unable to pay the last two months’ water, electricity and telecommunication bills, with Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) having requested a repayment plan, he added.
Were it not for agreements with Taipower and Chunghwa Telecom Co, the Control Yuan would have already had its water and electricity shut off, he said.
Regarding the health of Control Yuan President Chen Chu (陳菊), Chen is working hard on her recovery and remains in a stable condition, and she thanks the public for their concern, Lee Hung-chun said.
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
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