Nearly one month into the investigation of a corruption scandal surrounding former Executive Yuan secretary-general Lin Yi-shih (林益世), the Special Investigation Division (SID) of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office has managed to sway even the most optimistic, who, having misplaced their trust in the nation’s judiciary, are now starting to doubt the impartiality of the investigation apparatus.
For the many skeptics, disappointment understates a sense of anger that brews within as they see how the SID has, with its glaring double standards and snail’s pace investigation, seemingly proved to the public again that it is not color blind when it comes to cases involving politicians.
In December last year, amid the brouhaha over allegations of irregularities involving then-Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) role in a biotechnology company, State Prosecutor-General Huang Shyh-ming (黃世銘) asserted: “There’s not one case that the SID dares not investigate.” Revisiting Huang’s statement now, as the public takes note of the SID’s dawdling in the case implicating high-ranking officials from the pan-blue camp, many cannot help but wonder whether Huang’s remarks were really only meant for cases involving pan-green politicians.
Many have their reasons to doubt that the probe into the Lin case, which has been dragged out for weeks now, is thorough. A number of key individuals, such as Lin’s father, Lin Hsien-pao (林仙保) — whose voice was heard in the recording of a conversation between Lin Yi-shih and Ti Yung Co owner Chen Chi-hsiang (陳啟祥), apparently negotiating a 2010 bribe to secure a metal recycling contract from state-controlled China Steel Corp (CSC) — and CSC chairman Tsou Juo-chi (鄒若齊) — whose return to the company in 2010 after he retired in 2002 broke not only the company’s unwritten rules, but also raised eyebrows given the coincidence of the timing — remain unquestioned.
Any investigation should not be rushed and vigilance is key, but by the slow pace at which the SID is moving in the Lin case, it is almost like saying to all related parties: “Hey, guys, better get your accounts in order before you are summoned for questioning.”
Meanwhile, like a bad soap opera, over the past weeks the public has been treated to almost daily episodes in which Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) denies rumors implicating him and his sister-in-law Hau Ying-chiao (郝英嬌) in the alleged corruption.
In a recent survey conducted by the Taiwan Thinktank, 64.4 percent of respondents questioned Wu’s claim of innocence, while only 15.4 percent said they believed him.
No one likes to be wronged for something they did not do and if the vice president is innocent, as he claims he is, then rather than passively responding to daily media inquiries following the latest allegation against him or his relatives, Wu should consider holding a press conference and, once and for all, set the record straight. Better yet, Wu should take the initiative and report to the SID himself and let the judiciary do its job and prove him innocent — if indeed he has been wrongly accused.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), meanwhile, should not be sniggering in the corner grateful that someone else is taking the heat for a change. As a responsible leader, he should also take the initiative and offer a clear account on the allegations concerning his deputy.
After all, how is he expected to lead the nation when his right-hand man is embroiled daily in corruption allegations?
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