As the intrigue surrounding the Lafayette scandal deepens, it is easy to lose sight of the larger issues at stake. This is especially true in the run-up to tomorrow's local government elections as various officials attempt to politicize the details of the scandal.
The latest spurt of effort in the investigation into the 12-year-old saga comes as authorities begin digging through information supplied by the Swiss government, which released the files last month.
The new information includes details about a number of bank accounts suspected of being used to channel kickbacks to a variety of people. This has led to a series of accusations against a wide array of officials both inside and outside Taiwan, including former president Lee Teng-hui (
The scandal erupted after the murder of navy Captain Yin Ching-feng (
Former premier Hau has even filed a lawsuit against four prominent DPP officials after he became the target of their allegations. Hau, it was claimed, masterminded the Lafayette deal -- supposedly without the knowledge of then-president Lee. Hau traveled to France in 1989, and recommended that Taiwan purchase the frigates, as opposed to South Korean-made ships, after he returned.
The DPP has claimed that the ensuing morass of kickbacks, corruption and murder all occurred without the knowledge of former president Lee. But making such a claim makes little sense in any context other than election gimmickry.
If the Lafayette scandal does involve millions of dollars being funneled to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), arms dealers and French, Taiwanese and Chinese officials, as the DPP claimed, then surely it is wrong to rule out anyone before all the facts are known.
The real problem with making obviously politicized claims in this important investigation is that it weakens the ability of investigators to target dirty officials.
It is a simple case of crying wolf -- if people see that lawmakers are trying to manipulate the investigation's details for political gain, how will they know when something serious has come to light?
Most importantly, the investigation into the Lafayette scandal should provide an opportunity to root out the vestiges of the corrupt authoritarian era and strengthen Taiwan's democratization. It should not be viewed as merely an excuse to further divide public opinion and exacerbate the current political stalemate.
Of course it is possible that the KMT benefited directly from the Lafayette kickbacks. But as we are seeing with the DPP's difficulties over the Kaohsiung MRT scandal, graft is not solely a pan-blue curse.
Most importantly, it is the responsibility of politicians from both the pan-green and pan-blue camps to remember that they now have a chance to right a years-old wrong and avenge the brutal, cold-blooded murder of a man who swore to defend his country, and died trying to expose those who would weaken it.
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