The political furore over the president's "state affairs fund" and the Taipei mayor's "special allowance fund" illustrates the need for constitutional reform, said the former vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council.
"Political infighting targeting the president would be less brutal if the government system were changed to a parliamentary system," said Chen Ming-tong (陳明通), a professor at National Taiwan University's Graduate Institute of National Development. "It is equally important that the administration establishes a better system to tackle problems caused by justice in transition."
Chen made the remarks at a forum held by the Taiwan Thinktank to discuss the controversies involving President Chen Shui-bian's (
The forum is the fourth of a series of panel discussions on problems caused by transitional justice.
As Taiwan has transformed itself from an authoritarian to a democratic state, Chen Ming-tong said the problem caused by the president's and Ma's expense funds were a perfect example of justice in transition.
During a transitional period, Chen Ming-tong said justice does not necessarily have to be "absolutely fair" but can reach the level that is "unsatisfactory but acceptable."
He proposed that those involved in the fund controversies apologize to defuse political tensions. Those guilty of inappropriate accounting, but who did not pocket any money, must be granted amnesty, he said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said that the controversy involving the two political leaders' expense funds should be handled at the same time and with the same standards.
In the national interest, Kuan called on Ma to treat the controversy involving his "special allowance fund" as a case of transitional justice rather than a personal legal matter.
She was referring to Ma's donation of funds to charities on Friday. Ma said he had decided to donate a sum equal to a portion of his special allowance in order to quell criticism that he had embezzled funds.
Meanwhile, Kenneth Lin (林向愷), an economics professor at National Taiwan University, criticized the Cabinet's new measure requiring receipts detailing all expenditures from the funds as "inflexible" and "a step backward."
Chen Chun-kai (
It is important to establish a system that prevents officials from engaging in corruption, but it is equally important to keep the system practical, feasible and efficient, he said.
"You spend so much time collecting receipts that you have very little time left to do other things," he said. "It is an unbelievable waste of time."
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
A British man was arrested for attempting to smuggle 14.37kg of marijuana into Taiwan through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Customs said late yesterday. The man, who arrived from Bangkok at 9pm on Friday, was asked by customs officers to open his luggage during a random inspection, Taipei Customs said in a news release. The passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, refused to open his suitcase and tried to flee the restricted area. He was eventually subdued by three customs officials and an Aviation Police Bureau officer. A later search of his checked luggage uncovered 14.37kg of marijuana buds. The case was handed over
RSS