The jackals and hyenas are out once again. On Saturday, the pan-blue forces took to the streets to demand that President Chen Shui-bian (
Whether the rumors can be substantiated remains to be seen; in the past they have not. Certainly this is a matter the courts must examine. However, while we are waiting for any substantiated accusations to be brought forth let us get some perspective on the jackals and hyenas that are pursuing Chen.
A starting point is the stolen state assets that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) claimed as personal possessions because of its privileged one-party state rule over Taiwan for a half a century. These remain unreturned. Last year, after he was elected KMT chairman, Ma Ying-jeou (
Hsu Tsai-li (
In Taitung County, Wu Chun-li (
Since Wu could not appoint a spouse or relative as a stand-in, he promptly divorced his wife Kuang Li-chen (
As regards past instances of corruption, consider former KMT legislator Wu Tse-yuan (伍澤元) of Pingtung. After Wu was convicted of corruption, it turned out that former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) had loaned him US$1 million for election campaigns. Upon his conviction, several KMT legislators stood as guarantors for him so he could be released from prison prior to sentencing. He skipped bail, left the country and has not been seen since. The jackals and hyenas remain silent.
Return now to last Saturday's rally. What makes this particular rally of jackals and hyenas so blatantly hypocritical is its leader, People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (
Proof is still lacking in the current allegations against Chen. It is not the president who is accused, but those around him. If Chen is guilty, then certainly he should be made to answer. However, that he should give way to the jackals and hyenas that have never owned up to their own pasts is not a rational option.
Jerome Keating is a Taiwan-based writer.
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