President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday vowed to ask the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to return at least NT$190 billion after he wins a second term, saying that money stolen by the party belongs to all the people of Taiwan.
"According to reports from the Control Yuan, over the past three years the KMT has sold assets, which are worth over NT$190 billion -- NT$170 billion by selling stocks and NT$20 billion through real-estate sales," he said.
"The reports tell us that the KMT is the wealthiest political party in the world and it has the richest presidential candidate," Chen said. "We must ask the party why it has so many assets and where that money has gone."
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
"This is a mission to ask for justice for all the people of Taiwan," he said.
At a rally in Hualien County yesterday, Chen defended moves by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to ask the KMT to return its assets stolen from the government during its decades in power.
He accused the KMT of deceiving the people during the presidential election campaign four years ago when it said it would deal with the issue. He said four years have passed without the KMT doing anything about its stolen assets and with the party using its power in the legislature to block efforts to seek justice.
This gave the KMT time to sell off the property, Chen said. The party has sold NT$190 billion of assets over the past four years -- enough to build two Su-Hua Highways; to allow a freeze in public health insurance premiums for 31 years; to enable no increase in university education fees for 62 years or to enable children of lower income households to receive education at no charge, Chen said.
"During the presidential election four years ago, they promised to return [the assets]," Chen said, "but they have returned nothing."
"They have done nothing, yet they hinder other people from doing anything about it. Meanwhile, they sell party assets and put the money into private pockets," Chen said.
Chen said the DPP has already proposed legislation to regulate the ill-gotten gains of political parties.
But the bill has been stalled for two years because of the opposition's control of the legislature.
"In not letting the bill pass, they have had the opportunity to sell off party assets," Chen said.
"As long as the Chen-Lu ticket succeeds in winning a second term, we will be able to complete the legislation. They will not be able to stop us," he said.
Chen also called the presidential campaign a battle over cross-strait affairs, saying his real opponent is the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
"The presidential election right now is not just a campaign between the ruling Chen-Lu ticket and the opposition Lien-Soong ticket," Chen said. "It has become a crucial battle between the people of Taiwan and the Chinese Communist Party that Taiwan cannot lose."
Chen said the CCP's Taiwan task force reached a resolution on Dec. 2 to attack the DPP presidential campaign ticket through the media, Internet and China-based Taiwanese businesspeople.
"Its goal is clear -- to keep the Chen-Lu ticket from winning re-election -- and its reason is simple -- the CCP opposes Taiwan's democracy and reform," Chen said.
He added that the nation's president must be elected by all the people of Taiwan, "not be assigned or appointed by Beijing."
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
RSS