• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

KMT LAWMAKER: RECENT EVENTS DELAY DEBATE ON ARMS PURCHASE BILL

ROC Central News Agency

2006-10-31 20:11:48

    Taipei, Oct. 31 (CNA) The opposition Kuomintang (KMT) decided to "temporarily delay" legislative debate on a controversial arms procurement bill Tuesday, claiming emotions are running high after provocative remarks were made by a U.S. envoy and government officials in Taiwan, according to an opposition lawmaker.

    Su Chi, a former KMT Cabinet member, made the remarks after members of his caucus and their "pan-blue alliance" ally the People First Party (PFP) blocked -- for the 62nd time -- a government-initiated budget proposal to buy U.S. weapons from getting on the legislative agenda.

    Su said his party supports a "reasonable, modest and middle-of-the-road" arms procurement package -- meaning the government's proposal for buying three major items (anti-missile batteries, anti-submarine aircraft and submarines) can "neither be completely accepted nor completely rejected."

    Tsai Chin-lung, caucus secretary-general, blamed DPP legislators for "echoing American threats" by pushing for a Procedure Committee decision on the bill right after the American Institute in Taiwan's (AIT) Taipei Office Director Stephen Young set a time limit for Taiwan's legislature to pass the defense budget and a D.C. official warned of a "downward spiral" in U.S.-Taiwan relations if the bill is not passed soon.

    Making things worse were President Chen Shui-bian's alleged remarks that anyone opposing the arms bill is supporting a new round of "KMT-Communist Party of China cooperation," Tsai added.

    The DPP government is making an issue out of the bill at this time in a bid to "blur the focus" of public anger at the scandal-ridden president, he said, adding the KMT will not be disturbed by the DPP's strategy and will keep a close watch on how taxpayer money is spent.

    Liao Pen-yen, convener of the Taiwan Solidarity Union's legislative caucus, acknowledged Young's strongly worded remarks did a disservice to the DPP government by giving the KMT-PFP alliance an excuse to delay open debate on the bill in the legislature.

    Still, Liao said, the KMT legislators' action Tuesday betrayed the fact their Chairman Ma Ying-jeou had failed to honor his word about passing the government's NT$6.3 billion supplementary budget to strengthen Taiwan's defense capability.

    Ho Min-hao, director of the TSU's Policy Committee, said the government has adjusted its total budget for procuring advanced weaponry to upgrade defense capability -- from NT$610.8 billion down to NT$480 billion and now down to NT$340 billion, and yet the "pan-blue alliance" of the KMT and PFP remain adamant in opposing the package. "If political strife continues, military imbalance will worsen across the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan's national security will be in peril," Ho warned.

(By S.C. Chang)

ENDITEM/diG