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Dec. 1 elections: Crusader tackles vote buying one violation at a time

He hates vote-buying and people who engage in election fraud.

But it's thanks to that vote-buying that he got his first million dollars, a second-hand Mercedes Benz and a gold Rolex -- all for providing tip-offs to prosecutors.

Tsai Bai-hsiu (蔡百修), dubbed the "vote-buying buster" (抓鬼大王), is a 59-year-old mineral water vendor, who shuttles every day from street to street in central Taichung County to deliver barrels of water in his not-so-fancy truck.

"I have been selling water for almost 14 years, but I've earned NT$3,650,000 over the past few years from reporting information to investigators which led to the conviction of candidates involved in vote-buying," Tsai told the Taipei Times.

Working as an informant has not only earned Tsai great fortune, but also great fame. Now the star of a Ministry of Justice TV commercial which promotes the Cabinet's anti-vote-buying campaign, Tsai has become a household name.

"[Unlike President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁)], Tsai is a very regular guy with a straightforward personality which easily appeals to the ordinary public and is therefore very convincing," said the advertising manager of the firm that created the ads, who gave only her surname, Lin.

"Also, his sense of justice has made him a very positive role model for the public since he does what he does not just for the money but also for a greater good," Lin said.

When asked how it feels to be a celebrity, Tsai sounded excited when he spoke of how he has been courted by the media.

"I have accepted quite a few interviews with domestic and international media, including Japan, Hong Kong and Canada," he said.

The son of a family with close political connections, Tsai said that even as a child he frequently came into contact with vote-buyers.

"In a manner of speaking, I've had a strong sense of dislike for vote-buying ever since I was a child," he said, adding that he grew up thinking politics and elections were unfair games since the rich could buy their way into office.

Tsai said that decades ago, vote-buying activities were conducted out in the open and that candidates felt there was nothing wrong with giving "trip money" (走路工) or gifts to their constituents.

"At that time, township heads could occasionally be seen with bundles of dollar bills, getting ready to hand them out to eligible voters so as to buy votes," Tsai said.

"It was not a difficult task to catch them since most candidates would put their names on the gifts or money bags they passed out," he said.

Tsai said that although vote-buying has been brought under better control in recent years, some people still see little wrong with the practice because it has long been perceived as something "common and normal."

Recalling a time when he caught a community leader buying votes, Tsai said the person in question told him "this is no big deal and I've collected money every year," all the while professing his innocence.

Tsai began began his anti-vote buying career in 1989 with his first reward of NT$200,000 to establish a vote-buying busters' squad to monitor election irregularities.

The squad, however, turned out to be small, with only Tsai as captain and his secretarial assistant as the sole team member.

Having served as the director of the DPP's Taichung County headquarters in 1995, Tsai forged many political connections which helped catapult him to big time bribe-busting.

Three years ago, Tsai collected his biggest reward ever -- NT$2.5 million -- after his tip sent Taichung county commissioner candidate Kuo Jung-cheng (郭榮振) to jail on vote-fraud charges. Though Kuo appealed and was later acquitted, Tsai and his partner were still able to pocket the money.

"The first trial's conviction enabled my secretary and me to collect NT$1.25 million each, which didn't have to be returned [to the government] even after he [Kuo] was acquitted following his recent appeal," Tsai said.

Tsai is frequently invited to give lectures on his crusade and has started taking on apprentices. Encouraging all to follow his act, Tsai said that he has never "received any threatening calls or encountered any danger" in his 12-year crusade. "Don't be afraid. The bad guys don't dare harm you," he said.

Fulfilling his duties as spokesman of the Cabinet's anti-vote-buying campaign, Tsai urged all voters to reject vote-buying and shared advice on reporting misconduct.

"Put the money in an envelope and hand the envelope over to the prosecutors, who will collect fingerprints on the money and then nail the guilty. It's as simple as that," he said.

Tsai also suggested that would-be fraud-busters collect as much evidence as possible by taking pictures or using their video cameras to record evidence.

Emphasizing the lucrative rewards for informants, Tsai said people can get "NT$5 million and NT$10 million for information leading to the conviction of candidates involved in vote-buying in county commissioner races and legislative elections, respectively."

Anyone with information regarding suspected election fraud can contact the Ministry of Justice's 24-hour hotline at 0800-024-099.
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