The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus yesterday asked the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) why it didn't conform to the same ethical standards that it expects of the first family, especially regarding its stolen party assets.
DPP legislators urged KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to put the KMT's assets into trust, and to donate the profits that it had made from selling party-run enterprises to charity.
DPP legislative caucus whip Chen Chin-jun (
"Ma loves to highlight his integrity, yet he turns a blind eye to the KMT's fraudulent transfer of party assets, and has not said a word about the situation regarding Fuhwa Financial Holding Co (復華金控) and Yuanta Group (元大集團)," Lin said.
Fuhwa Financial Holding Co is a KMT-run enterprise that has been negotiating a merger with the Yuanta Group.
Lin said that the KMT has taken advantage of its legislative majority to pass several laws that are favorable to its party-run enterprises. He also said that KMT Legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) had called officials at the Ministry of Finance and threatened to boycott the ministry's budget if they did not cooperate and allow the merger.
"While KMT lawmakers are loudly telling the first family not to get involved in business operations, I wonder if they have ever looked at their own behavior," Lin said.
Lee asked the KMT to put its stocks into a trust fund, withdraw from running enterprises and financial corporations, and stop using its legislative majority for private benefit.
"The KMT should donate the money is has earned [through its party-run enterprises] to charity and minority groups to benefit the people of Taiwan," Lee added.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Chen Chin-jun urged the opposition parties to stop their "irresponsible muckraking," which he said has had a severe impact on the first lady's mental and physical well-being.
According to a report in yesterday's Liberty Times, the Chinese-language sister newspaper of the Taipei Times, Wu's health has deteriorated. The report said that the series of accusations made by KMT lawmakers had prevented her from feeling well enough to make public appearances.
"The opposition party's muckraking -- which it carries out without producing any solid evidence -- has gradually diminished the public prestige of the Presidential Office and has tormented the first lady. It is inhumane," Chen said.
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