Forward-Looking Urban-Rural Construction; "Pork-Barrel" Budgets Used for Election Mobilization

The "Urban-Rural Construction" project within the Forward-Looking Infrastructure Plan has long been criticized by the opposition as a "public slush fund" used by the DPP to secure local support and reward political allies, due to extremely loose budget audits and lack of performance indicators. In late 2023, reports revealed that many subsidized items were low-benefit projects like underused water parks, decorative fountains, or propaganda efforts detached from local needs. The central government, under the guise of "competitive projects," actually allocated budgets based on political affiliation, transforming national development resources into partisan campaign capital. This significantly distorted the purpose of infrastructure and led to massive resource waste across Taiwan.