What do former legislative speaker and People First Party (PFP) Legislator Liu Sung-fan (劉松藩), Yunlin County Commissioner Chang Jung-wei (張榮味), independent Legislator Yen Ching-piao (顏清標), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ho Chih-hui (何智輝), former Tuntex Group chairman Chen Yu-hao (陳由豪), and former KMT-turned independent legislator Wu Tzer-yuan (伍澤元) have in common?
The first thing that comes to mind is that they are all members of the pan-blue camp.
The second thing is that they all worked very hard stumping for KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
The third thing is that they all have been under criminal investigation and that they all have been convicted of one form of corruption or another.
One is left wondering why so many pan-blue politicians and supporters have a criminal record.
Huge kickback
During his tenure as legislative speaker, Liu received a huge kickback for helping the Kuangsan Group obtain a loan from the Taichung Business Bank. He was sentenced to four years in prison for breach of trust and given a NT$30 million fine, a sentence that is final and cannot be appealed.
Yen was sentenced to eight years in prison in accordance with the Statute for Punishment of Corruption (
He was also sentenced to 13 years for corruption and attempted murder after having ordered subordinates to spray a car full of people with bullets.
Chang has an even longer record, including possession of arms and vote buying during his tenures as Yunlin County Council speaker and vice speaker. He is also suspected of being involved with the land purchase for the Linnei township incinerator.
Ho was involved in the Chiuchun construction loan scandal.
Chen is an economic fugitive, while Wu was involved in the Sipiantou scandal involving a project to build a water-pumping station in Taipei County.
The crimes of Liu, Chang, Yen, Ho, Chen and Wu comprise what is called "black gold" politics to a tee.
Corruption
This begs the question: Does the pan-blue camp attract corrupt people, or does it produce them?
In light of their role as an opposition alliance following the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, it is surprising they have not been able to shed their connection to "black gold" politics.
The cases of Ho and Wu hardly need mentioning. Liu's resignation from his position as PFP legislator-at-large is evidence that he would rather flee abroad than go to jail.
After all, he can still find refuge in China, where Chen, Wu and Tseng Cheng-jen (曾正仁) are waiting to form a "club" where they can regain strength, and during the next presidential election, the blue camp can rely on the support of their gangsters and will not need the support of Taiwanese businesspeople in China.
Chang, Yen and Liu all claim they are the victims of "political persecution."
Given this fact, the blue camp could make this their central focus during the next presidential campaign in order show voters how authoritarian the Democratic Progressive Party is.
Chin Heng-wei is editor-in-chief of Contemporary Monthly magazine.
Translated by Perry Svensson
It is employment pass renewal season in Singapore, and the new regime is dominating the conversation at after-work cocktails on Fridays. From September, overseas employees on a work visa would need to fulfill the city-state’s new points-based system, and earn a minimum salary threshold to stay in their jobs. While this mirrors what happens in other countries, it risks turning foreign companies away, and could tarnish the nation’s image as a global business hub. The program was announced in 2022 in a bid to promote fair hiring practices. Points are awarded for how a candidate’s salary compares with local peers, along
China last month enacted legislation to punish —including with the death penalty — “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists.” The country’s leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), need to be reminded about what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has said and done in the past. They should think about whether those historical figures were also die-hard advocates of Taiwanese independence. The Taiwanese Communist Party was established in the Shanghai French Concession in April 1928, with a political charter that included the slogans “Long live the independence of the Taiwanese people” and “Establish a republic of Taiwan.” The CCP sent a representative, Peng
Japan and the Philippines on Monday signed a defense agreement that would facilitate joint drills between them. The pact was made “as both face an increasingly assertive China,” and is in line with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s “effort to forge security alliances to bolster the Philippine military’s limited ability to defend its territorial interests in the South China Sea,” The Associated Press (AP) said. The pact also comes on the heels of comments by former US deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, who said at a forum on Tuesday last week that China’s recent aggression toward the Philippines in
The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday announced that the military would hold its annual Han Kuang exercises from July 22 to 26. Military officers said the exercises would feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure. This year’s exercises underline the recent reforms in Taiwan’s military as it transitions from a top-down command structure to one where autonomy is pushed down to the front lines to improve decisionmaking and adaptability. Militaries around the world have been observing and studying Russia’s war in Ukraine. They have seen that the Ukrainian military has been much quicker to adapt to