Former Executive Yuan secretary-general Lin Yi-shih’s (林益世) apparent admission to having taken bribes makes an essay on clean government he posted on his blog all the more ironic.
Lin, who resigned from his post on Friday, was questioned by prosecutors on Sunday about his role in a bribery case and according to his lawyer confessed to his wrongdoing during a 12-hour-long interview with the Supreme Prosecutors’ -Office Special Investigation Division (SID), that ended early yesterday.
On June 11, 2010, Lin penned an article titled “The First Requirement on Entering Politics, Rectitude,” which discussed the case of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and former first lady Wu Shu-chen (吳淑珍) who were accused of misusing the president’s state affairs fund.
In the article, Lin said the ruling handed down by the judges presiding over the former first couple’s first and second trials should serve as a warning to all other civil servants that probity was a requirement for anyone looking to make a career in politics.
“We should not take taxpayer’s money, money they have worked hard to earn to provide ourselves or our families with a more luxurious life,” Lin wrote in the article.
Lin further said in the article: “My goal in entering politics has been to serve the people, not to take advantage of their hard work to satisfy a lust for luxury on the part of myself or my family.”
During the “red shirt” protests that started in August 2006 calling on then-president Chen to step down over allegations of corruption, Lin also played a prominent role, often taking to the stage to lead the crowd in chanting anti-corruption slogans.
In yet another glaring irony, the Executive Yuan in May, issued a statement titled “Reinforcing guarantees of human rights to promote a new and clean government.”
That press release was issued in response to the US Department of State’s global human rights report, in which Taiwan was praised for its overall human rights situation.
The Executive Yuan said in the press release that the government would continue its efforts to eliminate corruption and prevent domestic violence so as to better guarantee the human rights of Taiwanese citizens.
The press release also focused on the efforts being made by President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration to establish clean government, citing the establishment of the Anti-corruption Committee, the implementation of the Regulations on Civil Servants’ Ethics and Rectitude (公務員廉政倫理規制), the amendment to the Anti-Corruption Act (貪汙治罪條例) and Money Laundering Prevention Act (洗錢防制法) and the establishment of the Ministry of Justice’s Agency Against Corruption as examples of importance attached to clean government.
That statement was released by the Executive Yuan spokesperson’s office and during Lin’s tenure as Executive Yuan secretary-general.
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