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Defense minister dismisses `cash for stars' rumor

Rumors circulating within the military claim the posts of one- and two-star generals can be bought for NT$1.5 million to NT$5 million, but Minister of National Defense Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明) said there was no truth to them.

"I have been waiting in my office for someone to come and make an offer. But the only thing that came through the door was a fly," Tang joked.

Tang was speaking during a Thursday press luncheon, where he raised the matter without prompting from reporters, which surprised many present.

Tang, who is regarded as one of the cleanest defense ministers ever to serve in the government, said he had not seen any evidence of "cash for stars."

But a senior official from the ministry said in private that he had also heard a rumor that the rank of lieutenant general was available for NT$5 million.

"No evidence could be found to sustain the allegation. It is just a rumor. We don't want to attach any political meaning to it. But then again, why would this have popped up recently?" the official said.

"When the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) was in power, there were indeed cases of people `buying rank.' There weren't just a few cases, either. There were many of them. Ranks for sale ranged from major to colonel," he said.
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