Lo Fu-chu: I never joined any gang

Taipei Times: Many DPP legislators have alleged that you are a gangster. The DPP on Wednesday even made public a name list of the party's legislators whom they said had been attacked by you before, to show that you behave like a gangster. Why is that so?

Lo Fu-chu (羅福助): When I first came to the legislature, I could not accept the fact that many DPP legislators said one thing in front of the media and did another in private. So that is why I behaved as I did in the beginning. As a matter of fact, in the 60 years of my life, I never fought or swore until I joined the legislature. The media portrays me as being gung-ho about getting involved in fights, but it isn't true.

Almost all legislators have some voters who are from the underworld, and it is very common for people standing for public office to know people from all walks of life.

The DPP is well aware of my stature, because I have so many friends from different corners of society. The DPP looked to me for cooperation at first, but that plan did not work out because we did not see eye-to-eye ideologically. The DPP then started to accuse me of being a gangster, which caused confrontation between myself and the party. But in fact in private, I am good friends with many members of the DPP.

At the beginning of my first term in the legislature, there were never any fights. This was probably because the DPP had heard that I have many important friends and dared not do anything reckless.

I'm different from other legislators. I joined the legislature because I saw a crisis in the country and wished to do something about it.

Before I became a legislator, many foreign friends of mine laughed at the fact that Taiwan's legislators were so happy to hit each other. I felt ashamed about this too. But after I joined the legislature, I myself was also involved in this kind of behavior. I admit that this was wrong.

TT: It has been reported that you admitted to being a "spiritual leader" of the Tian Tau Meng (天道盟) gang. Did you really say this?

Lo: This is totally untrue. I personally have never said, on any occasion, that I was a member of the Tian Tau Meng.

I never joined any gang. In 1992, the Taipei Prosecutors' Office concluded an investigation on a case in which I was charged with being involved in organized crime, and no indictment was brought against me.

Everybody who called me a gangster has been sued and convicted, including independent Legislator Liao Hsueh-kuang (廖學廣) and DPP Legislator Tsai Ming-shian (蔡明憲). Prosecutors have also brought an indictment in another case against DPP Legislator Lee Wen-chung (李文忠). They have to have evidence if they are to accuse me of being a gangster, and they have never been able to present any evidence of my involvement in organized crime.

I was jailed for three years [from November 1984 to July 1988] for "alleged sedition" for financing opposition activists during the martial law era. But the prosecutors eventually dropped the case, because their investigation turned up no evidence of my involvement. Now I'm applying for compensation from the government for unjust imprisonment. I originally planned to let bygones be bygones, but now that so many false allegations are being made against me, I have to do something to clear my name.

TT: What made you decide to stop participating in the legislature's activities? Does it mean that you feel guilty about Wednesday's incident?