KMT apologizes, buys 15,000 Mid‑Autumn boxes after budget cuts hurt the poor

The Legislative Yuan has recently begun reviewing the central government’s general budget, during which opposition lawmakers proposed the removal and freezing of the Presidential Office’s confidential‑affairs fund. The outcome of that budget review quickly triggered a chain reaction in society. Because the funding for the Presidential Office’s long‑standing support and procurement of Mid‑Autumn Festival gift boxes from disadvantaged groups and sheltered workshops was cut, many persons with disabilities who painstakingly crafted these festive products now face a market that has vanished. The budget cut, born of political maneuvering, has unexpectedly affected the livelihoods of the most vulnerable in society, sparking discussion across sectors about the economic well‑being of disadvantaged organizations and bringing the controversy over the use of the confidential‑affairs fund back into the public spotlight.

Confronted with a sharp decline in orders for the sheltered‑workshop Mid‑Autumn gift boxes, the Kuomintang (KMT) caucus, led by chief convenor Fu Kun‑chi and joined by Secretary‑General Hsu Yu‑jen and several other party legislators, held a public press conference. On camera, Fu Kun‑chi and his colleagues apologized to the public and to the affected disadvantaged groups for the collateral impact of the fund’s removal and freezing. The KMT caucus stressed that, while budget scrutiny is intended to supervise government actions and conserve public funds, the party bears responsibility for the inadvertent harm to the substantive rights of vulnerable populations. They emphasized that political oversight should not come at the expense of the survival rights of disadvantaged compatriots, expressing deep regret and a willingness to review the matter.

To fill the order gap created by the Presidential Office’s budget cut, the KMT immediately announced concrete remedial measures. Under the direction and leadership of party chairperson Cheng Li‑wen, the party’s central committee decided to launch a large‑scale public‑interest procurement campaign, taking over the affected sheltered‑workshop Mid‑Autumn gift boxes in full. According to the KMT’s plan, the party will purchase up to 15,000 gift boxes in a single transaction—a substantial quantity. The party used the occasion to articulate a political appeal, declaring, “What the Presidential Office will not buy, the KMT will purchase,” seeking to turn a political confrontation into tangible support for the socially vulnerable while highlighting the opposition’s care and capacity for action.

The confidential‑affairs fund has long been a focal point of budgetary review and partisan contention in the Legislative Yuan. Although nominally intended for the President’s confidential communications and national policy promotion, democratic and transparency demands have led opposition parties to scrutinize the fund’s scope and legality rigorously. In previous years, the Presidential Office often allocated portions of the fund to social‑good initiatives, such as purchasing festive gifts from Happy Kids Bakery and other disability‑focused sheltered workshops, thereby encouraging businesses and the public to pay attention to disadvantaged groups. However, when the budget is wholly eliminated or heavily frozen by the legislature, these ancillary charitable expenditures cannot continue, exposing the fragility of a government that relies on specific budget lines to advance social welfare.

The KMT’s decision to assume responsibility for the 15,000 Mid‑Autumn gift boxes carries strong symbolic weight. On the one hand, the party’s public apology and concrete procurement have helped mitigate criticism that the opposition’s budget cuts were callous, allowing the KMT to shift from a reactive stance to a proactive one and to project an image of a party that looks after the vulnerable. On the other hand, the episode underscores the competitive‑cooperative dynamics between ruling and opposition parties over the distribution of social‑welfare and charitable resources. When the ruling party’s budget is blocked and can no longer serve the disadvantaged, the opposition steps in, turning the situation into a profound political contest. This not only tests each side’s sensitivity to public sentiment but also makes the survival rights of disadvantaged groups an unexpected arena for politicians to seek recognition and demonstrate social responsibility.

In the longer term, the incident has prompted reflection on the stability of funding sources for social‑welfare organizations. Sheltered workshops and other disadvantaged groups often rely heavily on government seasonal purchases and corporate donations to sustain operations; a change in party power, budget reductions, or economic downturn can swiftly plunge their finances into crisis. Establishing a diversified, stable, and politically insulated support system for the vulnerable is a challenge Taiwanese society must confront seriously. While the KMT’s large‑scale purchase provides temporary relief, the sustainable development of social‑welfare policy ultimately depends on enabling disadvantaged groups to compete in the market and secure steady societal support networks, rather than depending on ad‑hoc political interventions.

(Source: Central News Agency)