Is the government going to make good on its pledge to punish the lawmakers implicated in speculating on fixed-line telecom company stock? Will it prosecute some lawmakers or not? Given the current political situation, probably not.
As the proverb says, "A dog's bark is worse than its bite." When a dog starts yelping, it is showing its fragility, attempting to disguise its dread and fear by barking. The new government may be screaming for prosecutions, but its threats seem to be all for show, aimed primarily at deterring the Legislative Yuan from its threats, in the hopes the legislature would offer peace.
At his second press conferences Chen Shui-bian
If the government was truly committed to hacking its way through the den of "black-gold" politics, it should have taken stayed calm and composed while carrying out lightning strikes against targeted officials.
But what we have seen is what happens when a hunter climbs a tree, nosily breaks a branch and then acts surprised when he fails to grab any nimble-witted birds, or when a hunter begins kicking up a din before he even starts climbing a tree, sending all the birds into flight.
As legal proceedings must follow the rules now, a drawn-out crime-fighting process will inevitably bog down the new government. Besides, since many DDP lawmakers are involved in purchasing the controversial shares, any judicial rulings will hurt the ruling party itself.
Chiang Ching-kuo
If the new government really wants to strike hard at "black gold" politics, it should narrow the scope of its investigations, focus on key areas and highlight its targets. Given that the government has cast a "big wide net" over the stock speculation case, the public expects the net to catch a big fish or a lot of fish. But if the government nets just two or three fish, the political benefits will evaporate.
Since we all know these political realities, how could Chen -- who is usually so well-informed about public opinion -- have ignored them? Legislative Yuan speaker Wang Ching-ping
Chen Ro-jinn is a freelance writer.
Translated by Gatian Wang
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