Thu, Dec 23, 1999 page8

• Editorial: Public trust is paramount

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  The extramarital affairs of politicians are nothing new. Henry Kissinger's punch line, "Power is the greatest aphrodisiac," is now a cliche. Taiwan is no exception in this regard.

  However, sex scandals involving senior officials, like the Secretary-General of the Presidential Office, are not so commonly publicized in Taiwan. Indeed, John Chang's (31孝嚴) decision to resign the day after his scandal broke is the first of its kind in Taiwan's political history. If Chang's resignation can set a precedent for Taiwan's politicians, perhaps they will some day learn how to step down gracefully. It will be an important contribution to Taiwan's political culture.

  Some say that sex, money, and politics are a trinity worshipped by modern society. However, for politicians, sex and money can be career terminators. Recently, the mayor of Osaka was forced to resign after a sex scandal lawsuit. US President Bill Clinton was spared from resignation, but he came under tremendous pressure from a Congress rallying to impeach him. In comparison, Chang's courage to take responsibility for his actions deserves some appreciation. It also makes a glaring contrast with James Soong (宋楚瑜), who has been mired in a financial scandal for almost two weeks.

  Perhaps Chang's scandal cannot be attributed entirely to genetic factors, but Chang was in fact being true to his blood, given the Chiang (蔣) family's reputation for extramarital affairs. As the last active politician from the Chiang dynasty that ruled Taiwan for almost four decades, Chang received special promotion from President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝). Now that their political life has ended in such a manner, the Chiang family only have themselves to blame.

  All scandals are more complicated than meets the eye; Chang's love affair is no exception. It is obviously not as simple as a fleeting affair; otherwise Chang would not have written his mistress a note promising that he would divorce his wife. Any experienced diplomat knows better than to casually sign a note of promise -- unless he is moonstruck or under tremendous coercion. Whichever is the case, he has now lost the public's trust. His resignation can only be called proper.

  Scandals -- whether sex or financial -- can be a danger to national security when they happen to politicians. That is why politicians need a higher ethical standard than ordinary people.

  The crux of the issue here is the public's trust. Once politicians get entangled in a scandal, their judgmental powers will come under strong public suspicion, as will their crisis management abilities. Most importantly, once they have lost the public's trust, they are no longer qualified to perform public service or stay in public office. This is a fundamental political principle in democratic countries.

  Now let's see what is happening to James Soong's scandal. Soong has repeatedly emphasized that the money was entrusted to him. But he seems to have totally ignored the problem of public trust. In fact, the whole affair demonstrates a lack of both public and personal trust, given the contradiction between his words and deeds. So far, Soong has neither apologized nor taken any responsibility for this.

  Politics are the treacherous waters where all good swimmers stand a good chance of drowning. However, because politics is inseparable from public life, those who have lost the public's trust should resign. That any one of us can make mistakes at any time means all politicians should always be prepared to step down. This is the essence of true democracy.
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