The Executive Yuan put forth a measure yesterday that would outlaw politicians with a criminal record from holding public office.
The Executive Yuan approved yesterday revisions to the Public Officials Election and Recall Law (公職人員選罷法), which includes a so-called "black gold exclusion clause" (排黑條款). The measure imposes tough restrictions on candidates with backgrounds in organized crime who run for public office.
Citing the Organized Crime Prevention Act (組織犯罪防制條例) as reference, the Cabinet's draft amendments yesterday stipulate that politicians convicted under the act will not be allowed to participate in any elections during their lifetime.
In addition, anyone serving a suspended sentence for an offence under the act, and criminals facing death sentences or prison sentences of 10 years or more, would not be allowed to register as election candidates.
The ban would also apply to convicted racketeers released from prison within the last 10 years.
The draft will shortly be submitted to the legislature for review.
If passed, however, it will terminate the political lives of many incumbent lawmakers, such as KMT Legislator Kuo Ting-tsai (郭廷才) and independent Legislator Wu Tse-yuan (伍澤元), immediately disqualifying them from running in next year's legislative elections.
Kuo was found guilty of embezzling more than NT$2.3 million from a Pingtung credit cooperative and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Wu, a former Pingtung county commissioner, was convicted on charges of corruption and sentenced to 15 years.
The Cabinet's draft is expected to spark intense debate and encounter many obstacles in the legislature.
The draft, in addition, addresses political parties' responsibilities for nominating candidates who are involved in vote-buying or use violence to secure votes. If candidates are found guilty of such violations, their parties will be penalized with fines of between NT$500,000 and NT$5 million.
In a related event, the KMT yesterday released a special report prepared by one of its think tanks on the new government's investigation into "black gold."
KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰), citing cases in which legislators' offices and media offices were searched, said that the DPP government had abused its administrative and political power to interfere with judicial investigations.
Lien also said that the DPP government had failed to respect due process, and that as a result the rule of law has not prevailed despite the people's support of the government's efforts to eradicate "black gold."
Members of the KMT's Central Standing Committee Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) and Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who are regarded as having no connections with local factions, yesterday endorsed the report.
But at the same time, the KMT members urged their party to cut its connections with local mafia and organized crime groups.
Liu said that the party should make a clean break with its "black gold" past, otherwise, it will be hard for people to realize the party's determination on political reforms, he said.
Ma also urged the party to enforce concrete measures so that the KMT would not be left behind in this respect.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS