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GOVERNMENT OWES EXPLANATION FOR PURCHASE OF ANTI-MISSILE SYSTEM

ROC Central News Agency

2005-09-07 18:00:33

    Taipei, Sept. 7 (CNA) The government should deal with a failed proposal in the country's first nationwide referendum before discussing the budget for the procurement of Patriot PAC-III anti-missile batteries, Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng said Wednesday.

    In an interview with CNA, Wang said this was the consensus he reached with opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou in a meeting the previous day.

    Wang, a former KMT vice chairman, was referring to one of the two questions asked in the country's first nationwide referendum March 20, 2004 in tandem with the presidential election -- whether the nation should strength its anti-missile capability.

    A total of 45.17 percent of more than 16 million eligible voters cast their ballots in the referendum. Just over 91 percent of those who participated answered "yes" to the question, but the referendum was considered invalid because less than half of the eligible voters participated in the referendum.

    Wang said the Executive Yuan pulled out all stops to promote the referendum on anti-missile system, but it was rejected by the public and the government owes the public an explanation on why a failed proposal was resubmitted to the legislature.

    He failed to point out that the opposition "pan-blue alliance" of the KMT and the People First Party (PFP) also pulled out all the stops to urge the public not to vote in the referendum.

    The anti-missile system was included in the Executive Yuan's proposal to buy three big-ticket weaponry items -- eight diesel-electric submarines, a squadron of 12 P-3C anti-submarine aircraft and six Patriot PAC III anti-missile batteries -- from the United States.

    The Cabinet made a goodwill response to some opposition lawmakers' suggestion that part of the procurement package be financed by the regular defense budget to allow for closer legislative scrutiny, but the opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan continued to stonewall the long-stalled arms procurement package Tuesday, with the legislative procedure committee refusing to put it on the legislative agenda.

    Wang said the redrafted arms procurement will "eventually be put to review " in a consensus with Ma, although the matter will still respect the views of PFP Chairman James Soong and the legislative caucuses of the KMT and the PFP.

(By Lilian Wu)

ENDITEM/J