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Editorial: DPP dropping the ball on graft

As the scandal surrounding the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp expands into a major headache for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), voters can only wring their hands in despair at the sheer incompetence displayed by the ruling party as it tries to manage the affair's fallout.

What is most disheartening is that the DPP has seemed more interested in trying to play down the seriousness of the allegations of corruption against former party members than in rooting out graft, thus allowing the opposition the opportunity to embarrass the pan-greens at every turn.

By not implementing an immediate, vigorous and public probe into the Kaohsiung MRT scandal, the DPP has allowed the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party to grab the initiative to shape public opinion on the matter.

And the pan-blues' efforts have been hugely successful, according to some recent polls. As much as 60 percent of the public now believes the ruling party to be incompetent, while just over half of respondents to a poll in a Chinese-language newspaper say the DPP is a corrupt party. Although the accuracy of these figures is questionable, it is clear that the public perception is that the DPP is mishandling the scandal.

This is truly unfortunate. After all, the DPP has traditionally held the moral high ground when it comes to "black gold." That the KMT -- a party with a nearly 100-year history of corruption and theft -- can now cast itself as the champion of justice and clean government points to a very real dysfunction in the DPP's political strategy.

So what is the next step for the pan-greens? How can they use the mess they have on their hands to their advantage, with the local government elections only weeks away?
The first step must be for President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to put the bully pulpit to use. Instead of wasting his time trying to apologize for the bunglings of others, what the president should do is explain the full details of the scandal as they are known to him, and promise that every culpable individual, regardless of position or seniority, will be prosecuted.

Only this way can the administration avoid the perception that it is complicit in the possible corruption of a few individuals.

Next, the DPP must abandon its strategy of shooting the messenger. If a TV station, media outlet or pan-blue politician comes forward with "evidence" in the matter, the proper response is to promise that it will be examined in full detail. By attacking the motives of those who bring evidence forward -- as the DPP has been doing -- government officials merely fan the flames of speculation about a cover-up.

The claims made by many opposition figures -- such as independent Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) -- are obviously tainted by political interest, and often lack even the smallest shred of credibility. But this is no matter. The government must still take them seriously, and if they turn out to be spurious, it will only embarrass the person who made the allegation in the first place.

The administration must convince the public that it is leaving no stone unturned as it tries to root out corrupt officials.

A small leak can sink a great ship, the proverb runs, and through its tepid response to the Kaohsiung MRT scandal, the pan-greens could allow what appears to be the unprincipled actions of one individual to destroy all that they have built.

DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) has said that he doesn't think the party's flagging support will translate into losses at the polls next month. That may be true, but it will take more than hope to win the legislature and the presidency in 2007 and 2008.

It will take a solid record of performance, built on the handling of dozens of crises, such as this one. The DPP can't afford to bungle this scandal any further.
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