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KMT delays making changes to party's anti-graft clause

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday delayed proposing a possible amendment of anti-corruption regulations that would prevent party Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) from running in next year's presidential election, should he be indicted over his alleged mishandling of a public fund.

It is widely expected that the party's Central Standing Committee will relax anti-corruption regulations that suspend membership if a person is indicted for a crime, to allow Ma to run in the presidential election if indicted. However, committee members yesterday said no actions should be taken until the outcome of the investigation is announced.

The KMT's "black gold exclusion clause," which originally suspended membership only if a person was found guilty of a crime by a court, was modified under Ma's chairmanship to suspend any member indicted for a crime. The goal of the change was to improving the party's image.

The latest issue of Next magazine said that the investigation into Ma's alleged misuse of his mayoral allowance during his eight-year term as Taipei mayor would be soon be completed.

The magazine said that the prosecutors would indict Ma before the Lunar New Year holiday.

Amendment

Although KMT Legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) has vowed to propose an amendment to the "black gold exclusion clause," no action has been taken. Other committee members have either opposed amending the clause or suggested that the issue should be discussed by more party members.

Meanwhile, Ma announced yesterday that the party would no longer use funds generated by the liquidation of party assets to pay for election expenses. These expenses would have to be paid for using funds raised for the purpose, he said.

Proceeds from asset sales would instead be used to pay staff salaries and contribute to retirement funds, Ma said.

Central Standing Committee member Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教) said the chairman's comments amounted to a significant change of policy that should have been announced well ahead of the year-end legislative election to give party members time to raise funds.

`Blindsided'

Although Ma has said on numerous occasions that once the issue of the party's assets has been resolved, election funds should be collected through fundraising activities, the party has yet to flesh out the details of the new policy. As a result Lee, who is also a legislator, said he felt that he had been "blindsided" by Ma's announcement.

KMT Secretary-General Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said Ma's statement had served to outline the party's stance on the matter.

Information had been passed on to the effect that party fundraising would in future be overseen by KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and Deputy Secretary Chang Che-shen (張哲琛), he added.

Wu said that the KMT still employees some 1,005 people and had a long way to go in its efforts to whittle its workforce down to 600 employees.
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