Print

Mail

wiki links

Chen stays mum on Chao's apology

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) refused to comment yesterday when reporters asked him if he would forgive his son-in-law.

Chen, who visited Changhua and Taichung counties yesterday morning, said only "thank you" to reporters when they asked him to comment on his son-in-law Chao Chien-ming's (趙建銘) apology.

Chao was released on NT$10 million (US$310,000) bail on Monday night after being indicted for insider trading.

He apologized to the public, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), to Chen and first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), and to his wife Chen Hsing-yu (陳幸妤).

DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun on Tuesday had dismissed Chao's apology as "meaningless," saying that Chao had done so much damage to the party that it was difficult to forgive him.

Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) also refused to comment on Chao's apology yesterday.

When asked what the impact the recent corruption scandals surrounding the first family would have on the party, Lu said the DPP would remain strong in the face of adversity.

She also urged the party to amend its charter during its upcoming national congress to strengthen itself and attract more talented people.

Lu made the remarks during a speech to the 13th annual meeting of Asia Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce in Taichung City.

She called on the judicial system to fairly and lawfully handle the corruption scandals surrounding the first family in order to restore confidence in the administration.

"We have to honestly face the recent spate of corruption scandals," Lu said.

"They are a test of judicial independence and fairness," she said.

Lu also called for an end to political and ethnic confrontations, saying that the public hoped to see the pan-blue and pan-green camps work together in the nation's best interests.

"The two camps can have different opinions and opposite platforms, but they must sit down and talk," she said.

The vice president said a series of "blue sky, green ground" forums that she has initiated will be launched next month to discuss corruption prevention, moral reconstruction, partisan harmony, national identity and cross-strait peace, among other issues.

Lu urged businesspeople to keep national security, economic safety and social stability in mind before rushing to criticize the administration's economic policy for being too conservative and restrictive.

The administration did not intend to put the country into a bird cage, she said, but to build a safe nest where all businesspeople would be proud to stay.

She also urged the public to get used to having China as a giant neighbor and to work together for the nation's interest.

In other developments, DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) confirmed yesterday that Chen would not attend the party's national convention next weekend.

Additional reporting by Jewel Huang
This story has been viewed 3830 times.