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Taiwan's KMT Legislator Wang Hung-wei has accused Premier Cho Jung-tai of orchestrating the creation of attack videos targeting opposition parties ahead of the 2025 budget audit, Taiwan News reported.
Wang claimed that Cho instructed his ministers to shift focus away from communication with the opposition and instead produce videos, press conferences, and memes to criticise opposition parties, specifically the KMT and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP). Wang further alleged that Cho singled out specific government departments during a meeting on Thursday, urging them to ensure their content attacked the opposition for budgetary shortcomings. She named the environment, defence, and culture ministries as the departments Cho allegedly emphasised in his criticism. Wang also suggested that Culture Minister Li Yuan became emotional during the meeting. Cabinet Spokesperson Lee Hui-chih responded to these claims, rejecting Wang's characterisation of the meeting. Lee explained that the ministers were merely reporting the challenges they faced due to budget cuts. The spokesperson clarified that the presence of mayors from the six special municipalities during the meeting indicated that the focus was on budgetary difficulties, not on producing videos aimed at attacking opposition members, reported Taiwan News. In response to Wang's claim about the videos, Lee said that the videos and memes created by the ministers were intended to explain how the budget cuts would affect citizens, not to target opposition lawmakers. Lee expressed confusion about why Wang had interpreted the content in this manner, adding that the focus had been on illustrating the impacts of the cuts, not on creating attack content. Wang, undeterred, doubled down on her accusations, insisting that the ministers in question were deliberately engaging in content aimed at discrediting the KMT and TPP. Wang also accused the Cabinet of spreading misinformation, particularly with respect to the Finance Ministry's claims about cuts to the receipt lottery fund. Wang clarified that the receipt lottery fund is categorised as mandatory spending, meaning legislators do not have the authority to alter its budget. The Taiwan FactCheck Centre found that while the lottery fund budget is categorised as mandatory spending, it has always been subject to reductions during audits. Despite these cuts, they noted that the 2025 budget remains larger than the previous year's, potentially increasing the chances of winning a prize, Taiwan Ness reported. Premier Cho also made headlines earlier this week with an announcement to freeze 50 per cent of central government subsidies to local governments, causing concerns about potential budget shortfalls, especially in cities governed by both the KMT and the DPP. (ANI)
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