A recent investigation into allegations of bribery against the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Taichung mayoral candidate, Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), has DPP officials questioning whether it was politically motivated.
“This issue doesn’t look like it has anything to do with bribery — yet they are [wasting] the resources of police and prosecutors,” DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday, referring to the event in which Su, while meeting with the coach and players from Shi Yuan Senior High School hours before they left for the World Junior Baseball Championships in the US last month, gave the group a NT$20,000 donation and promised them a dinner when they came back.
“They shouldn’t act rashly on this, as it could have important implications for the upcoming elections,” Tsai said.
Team coach Huang Wu-hsiung (黃武雄) was questioned by prosecutors last week for accepting Su’s donation on behalf of the team.
Su, a former minister of the interior, said he only wanted to encourage the players and give them some financial support before they left. The check came from a group of team supporters who had asked Su to present it on its behalf, he said.
“All I did was … represent this group of supporters to encourage our aspiring national athletes, but if the prosecutors should be questioning anybody, it should be me and not the coach,” Su said.
He also asked why his support for the team before their departure was questioned, but it was fine when his opponent, Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), treated the entire team to a lavish dinner after they won the title.
“It almost seems like it’s okay when they try ‘to add flowers to the brocade,’ but I have problems when I try ‘to give a gift of charcoal in snowy weather,’” Su said.
Ministry of Justice regulations on election bribery state that gifts by candidates should be kept under NT$30. However, in revisions published last September, the ministry said cash or gifts given for activities, including temple events, weddings and other “cultural events,” should be exempted.
Lin Feng-jeng (林峰正), executive director at the Judicial Reform Foundation, said since Su was not an official candidate yet — registration for the elections begins later this month — the regulations shouldn’t applys.
“Based on this fact alone, the investigation is completely groundless,” he said. “Besides, when we talk about bribery, it’s clearly aimed at money that influences voting behavior — something that is missing from the picture when we consider that the players are high school students.”
“What’s next? Are we going to start investigating politicians who give donations at temples or red envelopes at weddings?” he said.
According to the Taichung District Prosecutors Office, the investigation started after it received a public complaint about the gift.
At a separate setting, when asked for comment yesterday, Hu said there was nothing wrong about him in his capacity as the city mayor treating the team to a meal to celebrate its victory.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS