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Editorial: The enemy is systemic corruption

When the campaign to unseat President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) -- mainly backed by pan-blue-camp supporters -- changed its name to the "Million Voices Against Corruption," Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) announced their support and even took part in the demonstration.

However, a look at the agenda of the legislature reveals that the president's nominations for the Control Yuan and state public prosecutor-general have once again been blocked in the blue-camp-dominated Procedure Committee (the Control Yuan investigates corruption and other illegal behavior by public servants, among other duties).

The prosecutorial system investigates and prosecutes violations of the law, and the prosecutor-general is at the top of the tree. The pan-blue camp is asking that the president be investigated for corruption, but leaves the system without a leader.

So much for pan-blue lectures on graft.

If the pan-blue camp believes that some of the president's nominees are inappropriate, it can vote against those nominees during the review process and have them struck from the list.

Instead, while it is likely that the pan-blue camp is not opposed to certain nominees, it simply opposes the fact that Chen nominated them.

Chen's nomination for prosecutor-general, Hsieh Wen-ting (謝文定), is respected by many pan-blue legislators for his professionalism and integrity, but the review process has only left room for political concerns. Every pan-blue legislator opposed Hsieh's nomination.

The pan-blue camp would therefore rather stop the government from functioning than give Chen the smallest taste of success. And this is the way it has been for more than six years.

It is hard to judge the merit of the accusations that the KMT and pro-China media have leveled at Chen. These corruption allegations require a professional investigation by the Control Yuan and the prosecutorial system -- not hack reporters operating under instructions. Regardless, the KMT has allowed rumors and lies to be spread by refusing to put Chen's Control Yuan nominees to formal scrutiny, thus prohibiting the Control Yuan and the prosecutorial system from functioning.

Opposing graft is a just cause which should be supported by all, but this campaign should not be directed at getting rid of just one person. Irrespective of Chen's fate, there are legitimate concerns to be had over future KMT administrations, given the party's infamous record on corruption. Only a non-partisan legal system has the power to remove graft by the roots.

For a properly functioning legal system, the legislature should give priority to debating Chen's nominees for the Control Yuan and prosecutor-general, establish an anti-corruption agency and make other anti-corruption institutions function more effectively.

Secondly, it should pass the "sunshine bills" that set clearer standards on the use of assets, political donations, capital and lobbying by political parties, public servants and private organizations.

This would create greater political transparency and give voters more power in monitoring the interaction between government and civic society. This is the only path to building and maintaining government integrity.

An anti-corruption movement that only demands Chen's resignation and fails to address the need for a system that can fight corruption is nothing but a front for political wrangling and manipulation.
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