The Executive Yuan put forth a measure yesterday that would outlaw politicians with a criminal record from holding public office.
The Executive Yuan approved yesterday revisions to the Public Officials Election and Recall Law (公職人員選罷法), which includes a so-called "black gold exclusion clause" (排黑條款). The measure imposes tough restrictions on candidates with backgrounds in organized crime who run for public office.
Citing the Organized Crime Prevention Act (組織犯罪防制條例) as reference, the Cabinet's draft amendments yesterday stipulate that politicians convicted under the act will not be allowed to participate in any elections during their lifetime.
In addition, anyone serving a suspended sentence for an offence under the act, and criminals facing death sentences or prison sentences of 10 years or more, would not be allowed to register as election candidates.
The ban would also apply to convicted racketeers released from prison within the last 10 years.
The draft will shortly be submitted to the legislature for review.
If passed, however, it will terminate the political lives of many incumbent lawmakers, such as KMT Legislator Kuo Ting-tsai (郭廷才) and independent Legislator Wu Tse-yuan (伍澤元), immediately disqualifying them from running in next year's legislative elections.
Kuo was found guilty of embezzling more than NT$2.3 million from a Pingtung credit cooperative and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Wu, a former Pingtung county commissioner, was convicted on charges of corruption and sentenced to 15 years.
The Cabinet's draft is expected to spark intense debate and encounter many obstacles in the legislature.
The draft, in addition, addresses political parties' responsibilities for nominating candidates who are involved in vote-buying or use violence to secure votes. If candidates are found guilty of such violations, their parties will be penalized with fines of between NT$500,000 and NT$5 million.
In a related event, the KMT yesterday released a special report prepared by one of its think tanks on the new government's investigation into "black gold."
KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰), citing cases in which legislators' offices and media offices were searched, said that the DPP government had abused its administrative and political power to interfere with judicial investigations.
Lien also said that the DPP government had failed to respect due process, and that as a result the rule of law has not prevailed despite the people's support of the government's efforts to eradicate "black gold."
Members of the KMT's Central Standing Committee Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) and Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who are regarded as having no connections with local factions, yesterday endorsed the report.
But at the same time, the KMT members urged their party to cut its connections with local mafia and organized crime groups.
Liu said that the party should make a clean break with its "black gold" past, otherwise, it will be hard for people to realize the party's determination on political reforms, he said.
Ma also urged the party to enforce concrete measures so that the KMT would not be left behind in this respect.
UPDATED (3:40pm): A suspected gas explosion at a shopping mall in Taichung this morning has killed four people and injured 20 others, as emergency responders continue to investigate. The explosion occurred on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi in Situn District (西屯) at 11:33am. One person was declared dead at the scene, while three people were declared deceased later after receiving emergency treatment. Another 20 people sustained major or minor injuries. The Taichung Fire Bureau said it received a report of the explosion at 11:33am and sent rescuers to respond. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, it said. The National Fire
ACCOUNTABILITY: The incident, which occured at a Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store in Taichung, was allegedly caused by a gas explosion on the 12th floor Shin Kong Group (新光集團) president Richard Wu (吳昕陽) yesterday said the company would take responsibility for an apparent gas explosion that resulted in four deaths and 26 injuries at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Zhonggang Store in Taichung yesterday. The Taichung Fire Bureau at 11:33am yesterday received a report saying that people were injured after an explosion at the department store on Section 3 of Taiwan Boulevard in Taichung’s Situn District (西屯). It sent 56 ambulances and 136 paramedics to the site, with the people injured sent to Cheng Ching Hospital’s Chung Kang Branch, Wuri Lin Shin Hospital, Taichung Veterans General Hospital or Chung
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘LAWFUL USE’: The last time a US warship transited the Taiwan Strait was on Oct. 20 last year, and this week’s transit is the first of US President Donald Trump’s second term Two US military vessels transited the Taiwan Strait from Sunday through early yesterday, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement, the first such mission since US President Donald Trump took office last month. The two vessels sailed south through the Strait, the ministry said, adding that it closely monitored nearby airspace and waters at the time and observed nothing unusual. The ministry did not name the two vessels, but the US Navy identified them as the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and the Pathfinder-class survey ship USNS Bowditch. The ships carried out a north-to-south transit from