The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday demanded that the Executive Yuan provide an explanation regarding the chartered plane Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) took to watch a World Baseball Classic (WBC) game in Tokyo on Saturday.
Cho attended the WBC game between Taiwan and the Czech Republic in Tokyo, the first time an incumbent Taiwanese premier visited Japan since Taipei and Tokyo severed diplomatic ties in 1972.
Cho on Sunday said it was a personal itinerary for which he paid out of pocket on his day off.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kun, Taipei Times
KMT Deputy Secretary-General Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) yesterday said local media reported Cho took a chartered plane — Airbus A321neo, No. B-18122 — operated by China Airlines, which was parked at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) the night before and took off from the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) Songshan Base Command’s VIP ramp at 6:30am on Saturday.
Questioning if the base command has a private aircraft apron and if the China Airlines flight No. CI-1888 is a chartered flight, Lin urged the Executive Yuan to explain who bought the game ticket for Cho, paid for his visit and arranged the flight.
Lin said Cho often claimed the government lacked funding as budgets have been cut by the opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan, adding that if he paid the visit out of pocket, he should release the receipts and expense details to prove that he did not misuse government resources.
If Cho’s visit was publicly funded, the Cabinet should explain the legal basis, and if he paid himself, it should publicize the receipts, Lin said.
If “flying on a chartered plane to watch a ball game on one’s day off” is the norm, the KMT caucus asks whether all government officials can take chartered planes from the Songshan base to fly abroad in the name of “private itinerary,” Lin said.
While Cho took a chartered plane to watch a baseball game in Tokyo, there are Taiwanese stranded in the Middle East and trying to flee the region, Lin said, asking if Cho can also charter a plane to bring them back.
“We are not against government officials cheering for Taiwan’s national team, but a democratic society has its fundamental principles, including clear distinction between public and private affairs, and transparency,” he said.
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday said it is not inherently bad for the premier to travel abroad and cheer for the national team, but the Executive Yuan’s conflicting and unclear statements only added fuel to the fire.
“If it was purely a private trip, then how can the plane take off from the ROCAF Songshan Base Command? How much money did the chartered plane cost, and where did the money come from?” he asked.
Meanwhile, Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun yesterday quoted Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara as saying that Cho had not met with any Japanese officials during the stay and that the Taiwanese government had stated that it was a private trip, so Tokyo had no comment.
Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) later yesterday said that Cho had explained that it was a private trip paid out of pocket, including the plane tickets for his security personnel, adding that the Executive Yuan or other government agencies did not pay the expenses.
Cho had submitted an application to the Executive Yuan before heading to Tokyo, following the regulations, she added.
Additional report by Huang Cheng-chia and Chung Li-hua
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