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DPP demands KMT boot out Lin

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday called on Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to strip Lin Yi-shih (林益世), the KMT's candidate for Kaohsiung County commissioner, of his party membership and yank him out of the race for using his political authority to obtain improper bank loans.

DPP caucus whip William Lai (賴清德) said that Lin not only lied about his work experience, but also abused his power by using low-priced farm land as collateral to borrow money more than its value from the banks.

"We're very worried that the way he handles his personal financial account may drain the county coffers if he is elected," Lai said.

Lai said he would like to know why the Guang Li Engineering Co, chaired by Lin's mother, could borrow NT$2.8 billion (US$83 million) with a piece of land worth only NT$200 million.

As the company racked up NT$500 million in bounced checks before it went bankrupt in August 1997, Lai said that he is wondering whether there is a "powerful individual" behind the scene and why taxpayers have to bear the responsibility for paying off the bad loan.

Lin's mother, Shen Jo-lan (沈若蘭), tearfully called on the DPP to stop their smear campaign. But that failed to move Lai, who asked Lin to face the accusations squarely instead of hiding behind his mother's apron. Lai also called on Lin to explain his role in the company, saying Lin had served as a special assistant in the company after completing his compulsory military service.

Lin earlier said that he was never involved in any of the company's operations.

DPP Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) claimed that Lin lied about his finances by failing to include three pieces of land.

Moreover, while the 1996 assessed value of one of the properties Lin owns in Tainan County was about NT$9.58 million, Huang said that Lin managed to borrow a total of NT$46 million.

The assessed value of another of his properties in Kaohsiung County was NT$5.6 million in 1995, but Lin borrowed NT$9.6 million, Huang said.

Lin used the same trick in 1991 to borrow NT$34.8 million for a piece of land in Kaohsiung County, where his constituent service center now is located, when its assessed value was only NT$9.24 million.

Since Lin was still a dental student in 1991, Huang said he is curious to know where Lin obtained the money to purchase the property in the first place.

In response, Lin yesterday called on DPP and his rival, incumbent Kaohsiung Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興), to stop using "clowns" to attack him with false allegations. He also challenged Yang to publicly debate the issue.

Meanwhile, the KMT caucus yesterday alleged that the DPP government has used political means to pressure the media to give their candidates more coverage in the run-up to next Saturday's elections.

Releasing a poll conducted last Sunday and Monday, KMT Legislator Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) said the survey claimed that their is less coverage of the pan-blue candidates than of their pan-green opponents.

Taking Formosa Television (FTV, 民視) as an example, Hung said that the station aired election-related news about 21,900 seconds a day, with 16,000 seconds devoted to the DPP but only 5,600 seconds for the KMT.

Hung claimed that FTV, Sanlih TC Corporation (三立) and Chinese Television System (華視) are the most biased TV stations in terms of election coverage because they cover pan-green candidates far more than their pan-blue opponents.
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