Minister Lee Yuan Denounces Culture Ministry Budget Cuts as 'Destroying Nation and Culture' – TPP Counters: 'This Year's Budget Is Higher Than Last Year's'

This year's central government budget faced a 351-day delay before the Legislative Yuan finally passed it on the 14th. However, the Kuomintang legislator Weng Hsiao-ling's proposed NT$473.8 million publicity budget for the Ministry of Culture was entirely deleted. Additionally, funding for PTS and TaiwanPlus was each cut or frozen by NT$200 million, prompting Culture Minister Lee Yuan to lament, 'To destroy a people, first destroy their culture.'

In response, the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) posted on Facebook: 'Taiwanese culture isn't that fragile. Stop using the rhetoric of cultural annihilation to resist legislative oversight.' The party cited former chairman Ko Wen-je, stating that anyone who lives in Taiwan, identifies with Taiwan, and loves Taiwan can proudly call themselves a Taiwanese. Taiwan's culture has never depended on a single minister or budget—it is rooted in its languages, literature, music, films, and theater; in temple fairs, markets, night markets, and the shared lifestyles and memories of diverse ethnic groups.

The TPP criticized those who constantly claim to 'love Taiwan' yet seem to have the least confidence in it. The minister's characterization of legislative budget reviews as 'to destroy a nation, first destroy its history; to destroy a people, first destroy their culture'—and his suggestion of a 'terrifying logic' behind the cuts—was deemed excessive. The TPP asked: Has the legislature banned speaking Taiwanese, researching Taiwan's history, creating literature, or producing films? No. While budgets can support culture, not every expenditure labeled 'cultural' should be exempt from scrutiny. Framing budget oversight as 'national or cultural annihilation' is not protecting culture—it's using emotional blackmail to shield poor policy performance.

Moreover, the Ministry of Culture's original budget was approximately NT$29.6 billion. After the third reading, about NT$1 billion was cut and NT$386 million frozen. Even after deductions, around NT$28.6 billion remains—higher than last year's NT$27.9 billion. If culture didn't vanish when budgets were smaller, why claim it's under threat now?

TaiwanPlus has received billions since its inception, but its app downloads fell far short of the one-million target. KPIs were eventually dropped. Minister Lee admitted it was 'indeed a disaster,' later calling it a 'literary expression.' The film 'Kung Fu,' co-funded by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (NT$100 million) and the Ministry (NT$53 million), underperformed at the box office. Lee called it 'very shocking' in the legislature, later claiming it was to protect the budget.

The TPP questioned: Can we not ask about TaiwanPlus's unclear positioning, unmet KPIs, or failed public investments? Must all funding be approved blindly to be considered 'pro-culture'?