On Wednesday, President Chen Shui-bian (
Nevertheless, the summons for Chen remains controversial. The president, just like any other ordinary citizen, is obligated to serve some of his civic duties -- including taking the witness stand when legally required. Even with ordinary citizens, however, there are some minimum thresholds that must be met before they are summoned. First, genuine reasons must exist to convince the prosecutor of at least a reasonable likelihood of a crime. In this regard, whether the open policy proposal of a candidate even comes close to constituting "vote-buying" is by itself highly controversial, as it is virtually unheard of.
Even if one assumed that a crime may truly have taken place, then there are still the issues of relevance and of necessity -- that is, is what the witness has to say relevant and necessary for the prosecution of the case? In this regard, the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) candidate You Ying-lung (
After all, the cost of Chen carrying out his civic responsibilities is high. Chinese-language media estimate that it cost NT$1.5 million for Chen and some staff members to travel to Hualien for his meeting with the prosecutor. This is not to mention all the time Chen could have otherwise spent handling national affairs.
Summoning the president to give testimony should be an extraordinary measure to be adopted only when extraordinary needs exist. Such a dire need is not evident in this case. It is unfortunate that the precedent of the president taking the witness stand could not have occurred in a more worthy case.
On the other hand, Chen's actions -- walking to the prosecutor office (instead of being dropped off at the front entrance), standing through out his interrogation, escorted by only two court ushers in entering the office -- highlight his respect for the law, which is truly admirable.
The pan-blue camp has chastised Chen for "putting on a good show." But, had he refused to go, he surely would be criticized for not respecting the law. There is just no pleasing some people. Let's see what kind of show KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
Could Asia be on the verge of a new wave of nuclear proliferation? A look back at the early history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, illuminates some reasons for concern in the Indo-Pacific today. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently described NATO as “the most powerful and successful alliance in history,” but the organization’s early years were not without challenges. At its inception, the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty marked a sea change in American strategic thinking. The United States had been intent on withdrawing from Europe in the years following
My wife and I spent the week in the interior of Taiwan where Shuyuan spent her childhood. In that town there is a street that functions as an open farmer’s market. Walk along that street, as Shuyuan did yesterday, and it is next to impossible to come home empty-handed. Some mangoes that looked vaguely like others we had seen around here ended up on our table. Shuyuan told how she had bought them from a little old farmer woman from the countryside who said the mangoes were from a very old tree she had on her property. The big surprise
The issue of China’s overcapacity has drawn greater global attention recently, with US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen urging Beijing to address its excess production in key industries during her visit to China last week. Meanwhile in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week said that Europe must have a tough talk with China on its perceived overcapacity and unfair trade practices. The remarks by Yellen and Von der Leyen come as China’s economy is undergoing a painful transition. Beijing is trying to steer the world’s second-largest economy out of a COVID-19 slump, the property crisis and
As former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrapped up his visit to the People’s Republic of China, he received his share of attention. Certainly, the trip must be seen within the full context of Ma’s life, that is, his eight-year presidency, the Sunflower movement and his failed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, as well as his eight years as Taipei mayor with its posturing, accusations of money laundering, and ups and downs. Through all that, basic questions stand out: “What drives Ma? What is his end game?” Having observed and commented on Ma for decades, it is all ironically reminiscent of former US president Harry