The phrase "rat running across the street" (
Chen obviously has more than his share of faults and really has no one to blame for all this but himself. However, it has got to the point that so many people want to jump onto the bandwagon to bring him down that there just isn't enough sensational dirt to go around. After unsuccessful attempts to raise public interest in their crusade, the anti-Chen accusers are becoming more and more frivolous -- the latest and perhaps most absurd accusation forcing an investigation into the receipts used to claim reimbursement from a Presidential Office expense fund.
No one doubts that it is wrong both legally and ethically to be reimbursed for an expense that one doesn't incur or to which one is not entitled. However, if you seek to take the high moral ground, there is no stopping your enemy from trying to outbid you and demanding even higher standards. The truth of the matter is that the practice of getting cash reimbursements with forged receipts is so common in Taiwan -- especially among members of the Legislative Yuan -- that whoever hurled the first stone against Chen for irregularities in receipt reimbursements has inadvertently given his enemies a lot of ammunition.
Therefore, it was not surprising that almost immediately after the probe into the "receipt scandal" began, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers began to question Taipei Mayor and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
This is not to mention that the so-called "irregularity" associated with expense reimbursements in the Presidential Office derives from a lack of details in the receipts submitted. The Presidential Office has claimed that the details of the spending cannot be disclosed on confidentiality grounds. It is not going to be easy to refute that argument. While the general public demands a lot more transparency from the Presidential Office and often places it under close scrutiny for highly justified reasons, it has to be admitted that some degree of confidentiality is necessary for at least some spending. At the very least, a gray area exists regarding what kind and level of disclosure should be expected from the Presidential Office.
One question that the general public -- and surely the DPP -- is likely to ask is why didn't the Ministry of Audit catch this mistake or irregularity in the past? According to the Presidential Office, its practice was no different in previous years and no one ever said a thing. Does that mean the Ministry of Audit has not faithfully fulfilled its duties in the past, both during Chen's presidency and the reign of his predecessors?
In the weeks to come, it can be expected that this morality campaign is likely to reach new heights. DPP lawmakers have already condemned Ma for the impropriety of some KMT lawmakers in drinking at a hostess club in China. We can safely assume that Taiwan's "moral majority" can see through all this.
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