In most places in the world, corruption is corruption, but in Taiwan it is different.
There is OK corruption and not OK corruption. It all depends on the color of the party you support, at least according to former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Shih Ming-teh's (
In Taiwan, pan-blue corruption is OK, but suspected pan-green corruption means President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) should step down. Logical? Not quite, but logic may be a bit too much to expect from the pan-blue politicians, party members and the "red ants" following Shih.
Let's look at some examples. Start with none other than Mr Clean himself, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). Ma has finally admitted that the KMT illegitimately acquired state assets when it took custodianship of Taiwan from the Japanese after World War II.
Ma has not apologized for this, but while admitting it might give a negative impression he explained, "It happened during a special period so there's no point in being too critical about it."
A "special period," ah yes, that means the period when the KMT controlled a one-party state and took what it wanted. If anyone resisted, protested, or objected they were either killed or imprisoned on Green Island. No, there is no point in being too critical about that.
The profits from using these state assets went into KMT hands and turned many party members into tycoons. Some of the assets have been sold, however. Was that money returned to the people? No, you see it had to be used to pay KMT pensions and other personnel fees, so that is OK.
As for KMT candidates, Ma has repeatedly supported those convicted of crimes of vote-buying and other, shall we say, "misdemeanors." Ma wants to run for president to succeed President Chen, but all the above is pan-blue corruption so it is OK.
Then there is James Soong (宋楚瑜), who may or may not be running for Taipei mayor. He rode behind Shih in the protest parade on Friday night and speaks often on why he should be elected and why Chen should step down. As one of the tycoons who benefited from the stolen assets and past KMT selective largesse, Soong has already been convicted of tax evasion. He has a minimum of five houses in the US and numerous stuffed bank accounts -- but that is OK, because that is pan-blue corruption.
Shih Ming-teh is not running for office now, and though he has not had a job for ages, Shih has been on the pan-blue welfare line for some time. He most recently flew to Thailand to meet Chen Yu-hao (陳由豪), a Taiwanese fugitive who ran off with Tuntex company funds, left huge debt behind and now hides out in and supports Communist China. All this makes Shih qualified to lead the anti-Chen campaign because this is pan-blue corruption and it is OK.
Then there is Hau Lung-bin (
This brings us back to Chen. Chen is not accused of any crimes himself, but as was said, his son-in-law has been indicted for insider trading. Chen's wife has also been questioned about alleged wrongdoing involving Sogo and Hyatt Regency coupons and vouchers. This is potential pan-green corruption so the president must step down.
Logical? I believe we left logic behind a long time ago.
Jerome Keating is a writer based in Taiwan.
As strategic tensions escalate across the vast Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan has emerged as more than a potential flashpoint. It is the fulcrum upon which the credibility of the evolving American-led strategy of integrated deterrence now rests. How the US and regional powers like Japan respond to Taiwan’s defense, and how credible the deterrent against Chinese aggression proves to be, will profoundly shape the Indo-Pacific security architecture for years to come. A successful defense of Taiwan through strengthened deterrence in the Indo-Pacific would enhance the credibility of the US-led alliance system and underpin America’s global preeminence, while a failure of integrated deterrence would
The Executive Yuan recently revised a page of its Web site on ethnic groups in Taiwan, replacing the term “Han” (漢族) with “the rest of the population.” The page, which was updated on March 24, describes the composition of Taiwan’s registered households as indigenous (2.5 percent), foreign origin (1.2 percent) and the rest of the population (96.2 percent). The change was picked up by a social media user and amplified by local media, sparking heated discussion over the weekend. The pan-blue and pro-China camp called it a politically motivated desinicization attempt to obscure the Han Chinese ethnicity of most Taiwanese.
On Wednesday last week, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta published an article by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) asserting the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) territorial claim over Taiwan effective 1945, predicated upon instruments such as the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation. The article further contended that this de jure and de facto status was subsequently reaffirmed by UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly issued a statement categorically repudiating these assertions. In addition to the reasons put forward by the ministry, I believe that China’s assertions are open to questions in international
The Legislative Yuan passed an amendment on Friday last week to add four national holidays and make Workers’ Day a national holiday for all sectors — a move referred to as “four plus one.” The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who used their combined legislative majority to push the bill through its third reading, claim the holidays were chosen based on their inherent significance and social relevance. However, in passing the amendment, they have stuck to the traditional mindset of taking a holiday just for the sake of it, failing to make good use of
RSS