Following their recent revelations of alleged scandals and tarnishing of the image of President Chen Shui-bian (
The pan-blue camp's frenzied attacks seemingly damage the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) clean image but actually expose the closely knit pan-blue camp's "black gold community."
If we review former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Chen Che-nan's (
Although all three cases involve corruption and profiteering, and the suspects have all denied the accusations, Hsu was released on NT$2.5 million (US$77,000) bail, while Chen Che-nan and Chao were taken into custody owing to fears that they would escape.
When investigating Hsu's case, prosecutors were able to implement the principle of closed investigations, and the media also stayed within bounds and did not seek to direct the handling of the case.
Strangely, however, in Chen Che-nan's and Chao's cases, the news media are able to publish the latest information as soon as investigators find new clues. The difference in treatment of Chen Che-nan and Chao compared with Hsu clearly shows where most of the media belongs on the political spectrum.
The pan-blue camp has sensationalized the Chen Che-nan corruption and the Chao insider trading scandals as a way to question the DPP's anti-corruption credentials, but it fails to mention its own corruption. It has made strenuous efforts to get Liang Po-hsun (
Liang accused both the pan-blue and pan-green camps of having accepted political donations from him in the past, but he is dissatisfied with the DPP government because even after apparently accepting his donations, it did nothing to please him.
Liang's accusations actually provide evidence of the KMT's tradition of "taking money to do things." Accepting money without doing what you promised is fraud; corruption is carrying out illegal activities in return for money.
Many of the pan-blue camp's actions only serve to highlight their close-knit "black-gold community." How could the people of Taiwan invite them back to power without the greatest trepidation? If they want to eliminate corrupt politics, they should make sure that the pan-blue camp remains in opposition while getting rid of the few rotten apples in the DPP government. This is the only way to eradicate black-gold politics in Taiwan.
The slogan should not be, "Chen must resign in order to maintain clean politics and safeguard Taiwan." Rather, it should be, "Do not allow the KMT back, and there will be no black gold."
Translated by Lin Ya-ti
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of
RSS