Of late, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has been selling off its party assets. In addition to the NT$30 billion locked away in the Central Investment Holding Co (
Naturally, the force behind these misconceptions is the pro-unification elements within the media, who are able to manipulate public opinion. They are turning a blind eye to this pernicious political behavior, confusing the public by representing the issue as a political scrap between the pan-blues and pan-greens.
In the US, the Democrats and Republicans are currently locked in a battle ahead of the elections. But have you ever heard of these parties -- in the crucial days before the elections -- furiously trying to sell off assets to get cash to combat their political opponents? Beyond this, wouldn't one be deemed insane if they asked either party if they had any assets to sell off to make them more liquid?
And what does the media stand to gain by hushing up the KMT's dubious behavior? Haven't the media called for fair competition in politics? What is fair about the fact that the KMT can easily come up with billions of dollars to fund their election effort? In two months, Taiwan will decide who will be able to make constitutional amendments, revise laws and review budgets. Are the elections likely to be fair and clean, considering that billions of dollars can be raised for campaigns with little difficulty? Are those elected as legislators really going to be the representatives of the people's will? Naturally, one has to be skeptical. The elements of the media that have helped in the cover-up are to be suspected of collusion.
For a long time now the pro-unification media has had a complex relationship with the issue of the KMT's party assets. The KMT has done its utmost to maintain a kind of gemeinschaft [community, fraternity] with these elements, and over time these elements have become an extension of the pan-blue camp, and are now the stronghold of the pan blue camp's ideology.
Involved as they are with the issue of KMT party assets, how can the pro-unification press claim fairness and justice? Every day these elements scrutinize every movement of the new government, trying to build the power of the KMT-led pan-blue camp who are guilty of plundering huge amounts to fill the party coffers. The DPP has been in power for over four years now, but has yet to be able to get the KMT to relinquish their ill-gotten assets. Regardless, the pan-blues and the media still accuse the government of cheating in the presidential election and setting up the March 19 shooting incident. Isn't this the pot calling the kettle black?
Despite the dubious survey results announced by the pro-blue press during the presidential elections suggesting a landslide victory, the greens were still able to win, albeit by a tiny margin. Taiwan's democracy would certainly be in trouble if it were the case that a force with billions of dollars in assets and the support of a media that it had nurtured were able to effortlessly topple a democratic movement led by a human rights lawyer. It is precisely this kind of force that we are trying to fight.
The public has to put up with the daily nonsense. When we are next faced by this section of the media, these self-serving politicians and the members of the so-called truth committee, we should think of the ill-gotten funds behind them. It should then be quite clear how we should vote in the legislative elections.
Lao Pao is a political commentator.
TRANSLATED BY PAUL COOPER
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