The DPP is leading Taiwan toward a "horrible" democracy in which the judicial system has lost its independence and respect, leaders of the KMT and PFP said yesterday.
KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) made these remarks in two separate election-related events held in Taipei and Kaohsiung, respectively. They were referring to a recent campaign incident during a DPP rally when President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) called out to a large audience, urging them to support a prosecution proposal to "put into jail" all the accused, including two ex-ministerial officials, involved in the corruption scandal at the Jin-Wen Institute of Technology and Jin-Wen Group.
Lien said this was like conducting a "public trial," ignoring the impartiality of the judicial system.
"The judiciary should be independent and highly respected, and a judicial case cannot become a subject of arbitrary discussion," Lien said.
"The [president] handing down a verdict on such an occasion for the masses is similar to methods used in a public trial. How horrible this experience is for Taiwan's democracy," Lien added.
In agreement with Lien, Soong said this situation was worrying for people as this was not the first time Chen has behaved in this way.
Soong made reference to the case in which independent Lo Fu-chu (羅福助) was listed as a hoodlum by the police last month. "The president has no respect for judicial procedures. When he notified his supporters that some people would be arrested before the action was taken, he now wants to have some people jailed before the trial even starts," Soong said.
Lien, meanwhile, said Taiwan's campaign culture is deteriorating in light of the numerous "unimaginable" actions taken by the DPP, which include fact twisting, splitting the nation along ethnic lines and even the use of violence.
"In a rally in southern Taiwan a day before yesterday, a DPP candidate openly asked his supporters to hit me with their fists. This is how Taiwan has become in the 21st century," Lien said.
Over the past 18 months of the DPP's rule, Taiwan's crime rate has seen a significant increase, he said.
For example, Lien said, the number of criminal cases has grown by an average 7,000 cases per month, burglary by 5,000 cases and violent crime by 250 cases, while the total number of drug-related cases over the last 18 months are six times that prior to Chen's inauguration.
According to Lien, the large amount of forged money that is flooding the market place is yet another example of the incompetence of the DPP government.
"In the past when the KMT was in power, everybody was holding a cellphone. Today, everybody is holding a cash detector instead," Lien said.
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