The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said details of alleged illegal party assets that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) promised to release are only the “tip of the iceberg,” accusing the KMT of insincerity over its holdings.
KMT spokesperson Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) said on Tuesday that the party would finish detailing its party assets by the end of the month.
However, DPP spokesperson Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) said the KMT is trying to deceive the public.
“According to an Executive Yuan report, the KMT’s party assets include 834 plots worth more than NT$31.1 billion [US$992 million] according to land evaluations made in 2006,” Huang said. “In addition, it also possesses more than 152 buildings across the country.”
“The KMT is only willing to take care of 229 properties, which is less than a quarter of what it has,” Huang said. “If this is not an insincere move, what is?”
Huang said the KMT also earns income from the rent or sale of properties.
“What [KMT Chairman] Eric Chu (朱立倫) plans to take care of is only the tip of the iceberg of the KMT’s party assets,” Huang said.
Huang also accused Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) of breaking a promise made in March to publicize a list of the KMT’s assets.
Huang urged the government and the KMT to stop dodging the assets issue.
“I’m sure that people would look forward to electing a legislature with candidates from the progressive camp, so that legislation on illegal party assets could be adopted and the assets could be returned to the people,” Huang said.
The issue involves mostly properties belonging to the former Japanese colonial government in Taiwan, which were supposed to be taken over by the Republic of China government. However, many of the properties fell into KMT hands instead.
In other news, DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) urged President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to focus more on what he is doing now after the president said during a meeting with former US vice president Dan Quayle on Tuesday that the development of cross-strait relations would become unpredictable if the next government does not continue with established policies.
“I have stated my cross-strait policies clearly: While keeping Taiwan democratic and free, and keeping its constitutional order, we would strive to maintain stable and peaceful relations across the Taiwan Strait,” Tsai said. “I’ve said this several times already and it is supported by most Taiwanese.”
“I would urge the president to focus on running the government, especially since he is yet to fulfill his political promises,” Tsai said. “He should work hard instead of making comments on a government that is yet to be elected.”
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all