Only three days after the presidential inauguration, Taiwan's new government has gone on the offensive against corruption, with plans for an all-out crackdown on "black gold" politics.
New Minister of Justice Chen Ting-nan (陳定南) confirmed yesterday that he would set up a "black gold investigation center," to be overseen by the Public Prosecutors' Office of the Taiwan High Court. The center is to have offices in northern, central and southern Taiwan and will recruit both prosecutors and investigators.
Chen is scheduled to file a report on the matter at the Executive Yuan's regular meeting today.
The justice ministry invited officials from the Ministry of National Defense and Ministry of the Interior to a meeting yesterday, to jointly draw up a coordinated anti-"black gold" report.
Officials have already reached an initial consensus on plans for the crackdown, which will focus on three areas: organized crime, corruption and vote-buying.
The plans will also include another supervisory team consisting of prosecutors from the Supreme Court. To prevent irregularities on public construction projects, the justice ministry will also provide suggestions to the Executive Yuan's Public Construction Commission and other governmental agencies on better enforcement of the Government Purchasing Law.
Stricter laws will also be drafted to regulate the financial activities of government employees -- including a unified accounts system for civil servants to declare their assets.
In January, the justice ministry drafted revisions to the Election and Recall Law to ratchet up pressure on organized crime figures-turned-politicians. If passed, the law will bar convicts who have been sentenced to death or to more than 10 years in prison from running in elections.
People who have been sent to correctional institutions will also be barred for five years from running in elections.
To recruit community support in the fight, the justice ministry will also issue "anti-black gold advocacy cards" (
"Black gold" refers to the use of money to influence politics for projects that run afoul of the law.
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
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