Defending against Chiu Yi
It seems the mudslinging tradition is alive and well in Taiwan. KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) recently held a press conference in Taiwan where he wrongly accused the Formosa Foundation and its honorary chairman, Wu Li-pei (吳澧培), of being involved in the alleged money laundering of which former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and his family have been accused. Chiu’s claim is completely untrue and an absolute fabrication.
In a desperate act to vilify the Formosa Foundation and the important work that the organization has done promoting Taiwan’s democracy, Chiu has created a false controversy.
It is a matter of public record that this legislator has previously been sued for, and found guilty of, slander. In fact, Chiu has served jail time as a result of his slanderous comments and has a history of making unfounded allegations smearing innocent people and organizations. [Editor’s note: Chiu’s prison term was the result of his involvement in a physical attack on the Kaohsiung District Court and not slander. Chiu’s conviction for slander earlier this year resulted in a short jail term replaceable by a fine as per convention.]
Now he has targeted the Formosa Foundation with unfounded and outrageous allegations in an effort to promote his political agenda while we are forced to defend our reputation from these baseless attacks. Chiu’s behavior should be unacceptable to all Taiwanese and Americans.
We urge media outlets to check facts before reporting any of Chiu’s allegations as the truth. The Formosa Foundation, a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization, has spent years working to educate the US public about the importance of supporting Taiwan’s democracy.
The organization has a hard-won and well-deserved reputation as an honest and effective advocate. Each year the Formosa Foundation trains students to become activists for democracy. The foundation has made a tremendous difference in the way the US Congress and the US public view Taiwan. It should be supported rather than be the victim of vicious lies.
Democracy, the old American saying goes, is a contact sport. You expect vigorous give-and-take and you allow for a certain amount of rhetorical spin. But blatant lies and smears are an attempt to undermine democracy. No one should tolerate politics based on fabricating allegations with complete disregard for the truth.
The Formosa Foundation demands that Chiu halt his slanderous comments and calls upon the media to act responsibly in publishing such falsehoods.
Terri Giles
Executive director
Formosa Foundation
Los Angeles, California
Corruption can be stopped
The answer to the question posed by your editorial “Does the corruption stop here?” (Aug. 22, page 8) is “yes” — if the government has the willpower and the courts are impartial.
The vast stolen assets of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) have made the KMT the richest political party in the world and have set a bad example of corruption to parties and politicians in Taiwan. When Chen Shui-bian was president, he talked about reclaiming KMT assets, but only at election time.
This is a judicial case, not a legislative bill. After becoming president, Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) correctly suggested nullifying the KMT’s assets, but KMT Chairman Wu Po-hsiung (吳伯雄) threatened to quit. Ma should follow up his suggestion.
When Ma was Taipei’s mayor, he pocketed US$7,000 a month from the mayoral special fund. As the court investigated the case, Ma hurriedly donated the money to charities. His acquittal set another bad example for the system.
Chen is being investigated for laundering money. He has said that he never intended to pocket the sum. He donated US$10 million of his campaign money to the Democratic Progressive Party while claiming to have used the rest for “international diplomacy” and other “public purposes.”
Only impartial investigations will reveal if he told the truth.
CHARLES HONG
Columbus, Ohio
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