In most places in the world, corruption is corruption, but in Taiwan it is different.
There is OK corruption and not OK corruption. It all depends on the color of the party you support, at least according to former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Shih Ming-teh's (
In Taiwan, pan-blue corruption is OK, but suspected pan-green corruption means President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) should step down. Logical? Not quite, but logic may be a bit too much to expect from the pan-blue politicians, party members and the "red ants" following Shih.
Let's look at some examples. Start with none other than Mr Clean himself, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). Ma has finally admitted that the KMT illegitimately acquired state assets when it took custodianship of Taiwan from the Japanese after World War II.
Ma has not apologized for this, but while admitting it might give a negative impression he explained, "It happened during a special period so there's no point in being too critical about it."
A "special period," ah yes, that means the period when the KMT controlled a one-party state and took what it wanted. If anyone resisted, protested, or objected they were either killed or imprisoned on Green Island. No, there is no point in being too critical about that.
The profits from using these state assets went into KMT hands and turned many party members into tycoons. Some of the assets have been sold, however. Was that money returned to the people? No, you see it had to be used to pay KMT pensions and other personnel fees, so that is OK.
As for KMT candidates, Ma has repeatedly supported those convicted of crimes of vote-buying and other, shall we say, "misdemeanors." Ma wants to run for president to succeed President Chen, but all the above is pan-blue corruption so it is OK.
Then there is James Soong (宋楚瑜), who may or may not be running for Taipei mayor. He rode behind Shih in the protest parade on Friday night and speaks often on why he should be elected and why Chen should step down. As one of the tycoons who benefited from the stolen assets and past KMT selective largesse, Soong has already been convicted of tax evasion. He has a minimum of five houses in the US and numerous stuffed bank accounts -- but that is OK, because that is pan-blue corruption.
Shih Ming-teh is not running for office now, and though he has not had a job for ages, Shih has been on the pan-blue welfare line for some time. He most recently flew to Thailand to meet Chen Yu-hao (陳由豪), a Taiwanese fugitive who ran off with Tuntex company funds, left huge debt behind and now hides out in and supports Communist China. All this makes Shih qualified to lead the anti-Chen campaign because this is pan-blue corruption and it is OK.
Then there is Hau Lung-bin (
This brings us back to Chen. Chen is not accused of any crimes himself, but as was said, his son-in-law has been indicted for insider trading. Chen's wife has also been questioned about alleged wrongdoing involving Sogo and Hyatt Regency coupons and vouchers. This is potential pan-green corruption so the president must step down.
Logical? I believe we left logic behind a long time ago.
Jerome Keating is a writer based in Taiwan.
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