The Legislature, led by a coalition between the opposition parties Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), cut the Central Taiwan Joint Services Center budget by 99%, reducing the previous NT$7 million (US$213,000) to NT$70,000 (US$2,130).
The center issued a notice to inform the public that their operations face serious disruptions and delays this Tuesday. The center’s Deputy Director Wu Yin-ning (吳音寧) tagged multiple KMT legislators in a post on Facebook, publicly asking why they intend to make it impossible for civil servants to work.
This Wednesday, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Caucus Chief Executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) spoke out about the remaining 1% of funds, stating that various services provided to the people had been paralyzed and that one service center has had to move already, unable to pay rent. She criticized the Legislature’s Caucus Convener Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) for being ignorant of people’s livelihoods.
Central Taiwan Joint Services Center Director Chuang Ching-cheng (莊競程) pointed out that the disruptions could also impact the Foreign Ministry’s Central Taiwan Office, which rents the building’s eighth floor for passport production. Chuang noted that this could potentially affect central Taiwan residents’ passport processing.
KMT Legislator Huang Chien-hao (黃健豪) said there are varying views regarding the function and necessity of the Central Taiwan Joint Services Center and asked the Cabinet to clarify whether or not the actual operations of the centers in each district had been affected. KMT Legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) assured that no necessary public services were removed from the budget.