According to the latest public polls, President Chen Shui-bian's
To look on the bright side, this is the perfect time for Chen to regain his popularity by initiating bold reforms to crack down on "black gold"(黑金) politics. The recent investigations into Tai-chung County Council speaker Yen Ching-piao (顏清標) and vice speaker Chang Ching-tang (張清堂) on charges of corruption and attempted murder have won public support. This can be a starting point for Chen to remind the public of his ironfisted leadership style when he was mayor of Taipei. Even though supporters of Yen and Chang held a press conference to protest the prosecutor's decision to detain these notorious politicians -- claiming that their detention was simply political persecution -- it is time for the government to take decisive action to root out black gold.
Yen and Chang are products of Taiwan's unique black gold phenomenon -- a term denoting the connection between organized crime, political influence and local and central government. Both men have backgrounds in organized crime and criminal records; both were brought into the political arena by the KMT. They are accused of corruption and vote-buying during their terms as speaker and vice speaker of the county council.
Their cases illustrate the way in which black gold operates. When organized crime figures become village and township representatives, city and county councilors or even legislators, formal channels are created for those with criminal records to "launder" themselves in the political arena. The greater their involvement in politics, the more pervasive their influence, to the detriment of the whole political and economic structure.
Under the KMT's rule, many people with such backgrounds followed this path to personal influence through local political networks. This has not only reduced the legislative branches at both the local and central levels to pork barrel politics, but also obstructed social stability and economic development.
Black gold has imperiled Taiwan's political and economic system in three ways: it has created a corrupting political environment; it has reduced people's confidence in judicial independence, and it has undermined the arena for fair and competitive economic activity.
During the last presidential campaign, most surveys showed that the public felt ashamed of the rampant official corruption and gang-linked politics. They also showed the public's desire for the government to crack down on organized crime and improve public order. Of the candidates, Chen was the one most capable of dealing with black gold.
Lee Yuan-tseh (
Chen's pledge to eradicate black gold was a key campaign platform and contributed to his victory, largely because of the public's belief that he could remove this political tumor. It is, therefore, imperative for Chen to fulfill his campaign promises.
Since the year-end election is approaching, the public should support the government's efforts to collect evidence against criminal organizations and politicians with criminal ties. We should also call on the government to investigate vote buying and set up an independent financial examination committee to supervise financial institutions, to prevent corruption between candidates and conglomerates. It's time for the government to take real action on black gold.
Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
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