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Military procurement should be overseen by legislature: speaker

ROC Central News Agency

2008-02-15 18:28:49

    Taipei, Feb. 15 (CNA) Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng said Friday that it would be "more normal and reasonable" if military procurement and related industries, which are important to national security, can be overseen by the legislature.

    Wang was responding to news of the creation of a new private company called Taiwan Goal that will handle overseas arms transactions and exchanges.

    Although the Ministry of National Defense will have a 45 percent stake in the company, it is unclear if it will be controlled by the ministry or subject to legislative oversight.

    Wang said that if the government holds only a minority stake in the company, then it is the concern of all members of the country. But should the government, or the Ministry of National Defense, hold more than 50 percent of Taiwan Goal's shares the Legislative Yuan would be legitimately able to monitor it, he suggested.

    Wang said he only became aware of the company's existence Thursday after reading about it in a local daily newspaper, and had no knowledge of Taiwan Goal's operations and related matters.

    He said how Taiwan Goal will fare or whether it will continue to exist will depend on the new administration elected in the March 22 presidential election.

    The Ministry of National Defense confirmed on Thursday the creation of the company, formed to boost the country's national defense industry and engage in arms dealings with foreign suppliers that the government would have trouble handling.

    Wu Nai-jen, a veteran member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) , has been appointed as the unpaid chairman of the company's board of directors, which sparked criticism of conflict of interest from opposition Kuomintang lawmakers.

    Wu defended his role Thursday, stressing that he would step down from the post after the new president assumes office May 20 to allow a new government to control the company's leadership.

    The company has contacted many foreign weapons suppliers since its founding last month in an effort to develop alliances with Taiwanese enterprises for logistics services, but no contract is likely to be signed before May 20, Wu said.

    Kuomintang Legislator Lin Yu-fang criticized the move Thursday, saying that while the company was funded by public agencies and state-run firms, including Chunghua Telecom and the defense ministry, the government held only three of the seven seats on the board.

(By Deborah Kuo)

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