Former Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) mentor at Harvard Law School, Jerome Cohen, has labeled Ma's indictment on embezzlement charges "stunning" and "surprising."
Cohen said Ma should try to prove his innocence if he feels he was wronged.
If Ma is cleared of the charges, Cohen said there is no doubt that the former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman could run for the presidency.
During an interview with CNA, Cohen, who is now a law professor at New York University, described Ma as honest and upright. He said he felt sympathetic and sad -- just the way he felt when another of his Taiwanese students -- Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) -- was jailed for her political activities in the 1980s.
Ma and Lu both studied with at Cohen at Harvard Law School. Lu received a masters in law in 1978, while Ma received his doctorate in law in 1981.
Returning from the US in 1978, Lu joined in the pro-democracy movement. A 20-minute speech at a rally held to commemorate Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, 1979 in Kaohsiung led to her arrest and conviction for sedition.
Sentenced to 12 years, Lu was granted a medical parole because of thyroid cancer after five years and four months.
"People should give Taiwan's judicial system a chance," said Cohen, who has long paid attention to Taiwan's democratic development as well as human rights and judicial practices in China.
He said Ma's indictment was a whole new case and that the judicial system had faced greater pressure given the increasing level of inter-party confrontation.
The case could be an "interesting" challenge for Taiwan in its efforts to develop democratic politics, he said.
Meanwhile, in Taipei, President Chen Shui-bian (
It was the first time the president had commented on his former rival's indictment.
Chen made the remark during the question-and-answer session at a year-end luncheon with Presidential Office press corps at the Taipei Guest House.
Chen said he had originally hesitated to make any comment but decided he would continue to reflect and exercise caution.
Lu was also at the luncheon and said she was not surprised by Ma's announcement that he would enter the presidential race.
She said she respected his decision, but the public would be the final judge.
At a separate event yesterday, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Wang Sing-nan (
Should Ma win, there would be two scenarios, he said, both of which would create a "storm" in domestic politics.
If Ma won the election, but was convicted and sentenced before his inauguration, a second election would have to be held because without the constitutional immunity to prosecution that comes with the presidency, Ma could go to jail, Wang said.
If Ma's trial was still going on at the time of his inauguration, he would enter office as a president suspected of corruption, the DPP lawmaker said.
"Either way, the nation would not be able to stand it," Wang said, urging Ma to postpone his presidential bid to 2012.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
RSS