Mon, Jun 16, 2003 page8

• Editorial: President Chen tackles `black gold'

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  The pan-blue lawmakers have stalled a number of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) policies by blocking the bills in the legislature. However, Chen still boasts unrivalled achievements in the crackdown on corruption.

  The investigations on gang boss Lo Fu-chu (羅福助), Kaohsiung City Council speaker Chu An-hsiung (朱安雄) and China Development chairman Liu Tai-ying (劉泰英) are proof that Chen is a gutsy leader, who dares to tackle influential people when others will not.

  Former legislator Lo claims to be the spiritual leader of the Tiandaomeng (Heavenly Path Alliance). During his term as a legislator he was the "big brother" of independent lawmakers. He was the epitome of "rule by gangsters."

  Lo was so audacious in the legislature that he even beat up PFP Legislator Diane Lee (李慶安). Because he continued to wield great influence with the voters in Taipei County, people doubted Chen's determination to crack down on him for a while. The public didn't expect prosecutors to launch an investigation into Lo's crimes last year at the behest of Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南), who sought a 30-year sentence for Lo's crimes.

  In Chinese politics, there is a tradition of secret collusion with gangsters. This tradition, perfected in Taiwan by the KMT, still threatens the foundations of democracy and the rule of law. Chen's crackdown on Lo, one of Taiwan's most powerful politician-thugs, has been very gratifying.

  Chu is a representative of "black gold" in Kaohsiung. His Anfeng group (安峰) has long been a "black gold" stronghold. The group has run into one problem after another since 1998. To Chu's detriment, Chen, not Chu's "black gold" comrades Lien Chan (連戰) or James Soong (宋楚瑜), was elected president in 2000.

  In 2001, prosecutors sought a seven-year prison term for Chu on charges of embezzlement and tax evasion. Chu apparently believed Chen was only paying lip service in the fight against "black gold," for he continued to engage in vote-buying at a rate of NT$500 per vote. After collecting evidence, prosecutors sought another 22-month sentence for him.

  During the election for Kaohsiung City Council speaker, Chu bribed councilors at NT$5 million per vote. His election as speaker angered his constituents.

  Justice minister Chen immediately asked prosecutors to launch an investigation, which ended in April with the prosecutors asking for another 30-month sentence.

  President Chen's bravery is apparent in the fact that he is even cracking down on Liu, who served as the KMT's treasurer when former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) was the party's chairman.

  President Chen has also cracked down hard on one of his own party members, DPP Legislator Chou Po-lun (周伯倫). He was Chen's former colleague at the Taipei City Council. More than a decade ago, Chou was implicated in the Rong-hsing Garden scandal. After 15 years of court proceedings, Chou was sentenced to six years in prison in January.

  Apart from Chou, however, the other three mentioned above are still at the stage of indictment. Given the sluggish pace of the courts, their cases may also drag on for a long time. No wonder justice minister Chen has demanded speedier trials, saying "Justice dispensed late is no justice at all." Whether the president can safeguard his reputation as an anti-black gold crusader will depend on the judges' performance.
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