Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee Chairman Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said that the committee has received a much warmer welcome in the south than the north.
Committee spokeswoman Shih Chin-fang (施錦芳) — hitherto not as well-known to the public as Koo — said that working with the committee has made her recognizable, citing an incident in Miaoli’s Shei-Pa National Park (雪霸國家公園) when a group of strangers approached her to shake her hand.
“I was completely shocked by it,” Shih said, adding that the incident has a become a discussion topic among committee members. “If even I can be recognized by the public, it shows how well received the committee has been in central and southern Taiwan.”
One committee worker who is a lawyer said he has been encouraged by relatives to hang a picture of himself taken with Koo in his office if he ever returns to practice law.
“You would have an unending stream of clients,” the worker quoted his relatives as saying.
The worker echoed the sentiment that the committee has been better received in the south, saying that local officials in the south tend to join round-table discussions, and give positive feedback and support, which is uncommon in the north.
Koo said he has also received encouragement from some organizations owned by or associated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), citing kind words received from members of the Chang Yung-fa Foundation in November last year, which owes the party NT$100 million (US$3.29 million).
“I was shocked by the encouragement, but also greatly moved,” Koo said.
While the public’s support is highly appreciated, Koo said he also hopes committee members would avoid dressing too much like public officials to protect their safety.
One of the unfortunate repercussions of the committee’s work is that other government departments in the same building have been affected by pro-KMT protests, Koo said.
Koo said he regrets that officials working in other departments have been mistakenly identified as assets committee members and prevented from entering the building by protesters.
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