Premier's administrative report to Legislature boycotted by KMT lawmakers

Taipei, Feb. 25 (CNA) Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Tuesday presented an administrative address to the Legislature amid a brief protest by opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers who then withdrew en masse from the chamber.

Cho was scheduled to present an administrative address in the Legislature, which returned from a recess on Tuesday.

In a rare move for administrative addresses by Taiwan's premier, Cho departed from his written comments while briefing the legislature on new infrastructure projects for fiscal year 2025, to criticize the opposition parties, which have a majority of seats in the Legislature, for voting to cut the central government budget last month.

The KMT and the minor opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP) last month voted to slash a record-high NT$207.5 billion (US$6.33 billion) from the NT$3.13 trillion general budget proposal submitted by the Cabinet.

Cho stressed the urgent need for funding for new projects, which caused the proposed budget to be higher than the previous year.

"What are the new projects? I've said many times but since so many people find them hard to remember, I'll repeat again," Cho said before naming the initiatives.

"Are any of these projects unimportant or unnecessary? So, why should the central government's budget be lower than it was last year?" Cho asked.

Cho spent much of his time discussing the relationship between the administrative and legislative branches of the government and calling for the opposition parties to "put unity before everything else."

However, before Cho could begin his speech, KMT lawmakers surrounded the podium, holding up placards and shouting slogans accusing the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of governing with "lies" and being out of touch with the public.

In response, DPP lawmakers also held up placards calling for the opposition to engage in rational dialogue with the ruling party.

The commotion lasted several minutes until KMT lawmakers withdrew from the Legislative chamber.

Cho has not said whether the Cabinet will request that the Legislature re-vote on the general budget it passed. Relevant agencies are researching ways to pursue "legal and constitutional remedies" over the issue, he told reporters Tuesday.

(By Lin Ching-yin and Sean Lin) Editem/AW