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Letter: KMT charges hypocritical

I was shocked to learn that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) owns the Taiwan Trade Development (TTD) building in Tokyo ("Ma didn't sell Tokyo land: KMT," July 14, page 3). What will be the KMT's next move to hide its ill-gotten assets? Buying property in Shanghai or Beijing? According to the KMT's public statements, the TTD was acquired legally in 1993. However, it is common sense to assume that the TTD is one of their illegal assets, because the source of the funds used to acquire the building is questionable.

I wonder what happened to the KMT's hidden assets in Switzerland, which were transferred into a trust fund by then chairman Lien Chan (連戰) in 2003.

Why can't the Taiwan government ask Switzerland to freeze the fund and return it to Taiwan, where it legally belongs?

It is rather naive for KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to think that his party can fool people by hiding its assets overseas, a practice followed by dictatorial regimes around the world. Did Ma learn about this as part of his legal studies in the US? You cannot erase a reputation for corruption by transferring funds elsewhere and hoping that out of sight means out of mind.

The recent scandal involving alleged insider-trading by President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) son-in-law, Chao Chien-ming (趙建銘), is truly regrettable. However, the matter should be resolved through the legal system, not mob protests.

The opposition parties used the scandal involving Chao to try to oust president Chen. It was hypocritical for the KMT to accuse Chen's administration of practicing corrupt politics.

It is, however, well documented in the history books that the KMT has for decades practiced crony capitalism, in which the party rewarded its well-connected friends. Doesn't anyone wonder why so many top KMT members have been able to accumulate so much wealth -- far beyond what public servants usually make -- so quickly?

Perhaps Chao was a novice in the art of insider trading. If that's the case, he may want to join the KMT in order to learn the tricks of the trade. He would then be able to accumulate wealth off the radar of suspicion, just like many KMT pros do. This is just a suggestion.

Chris Liao
San Francisco, California
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