In 2022, the public was stirred by New York’s new Republican representative George Santos, whose entire past, including his background, his education and his work experience, all turned out to be false. Santos, who is of Brazilian descent, claimed to have Jewish ancestry; he had also never been a varsity athlete of a prestigious school, nor worked in a renowned investment firm.
Moreover, it was revealed that Santos had spent political donations on personal luxury items, and the US Congress in December last year voted to expel him. Facing several federal fraud charges, Santos last week pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
Similarly, suspended Hsinchu mayor Ann Kao (高虹安), sworn into office in 2022 with much fanfare, was last month sentenced to seven years and four months in prison for corruption in a case involving the embezzlement of legislative assistants’ fees. Last week, she was further sentenced to 10 months in prison for defamation related to thesis plagiarism. The law has brought justice, and Kao is not far from serving time in prison.
Everyone has the right to participate in politics in a democratic society, but being given the opportunity to do so does not grant one the right to act without restraint. The rule of law is the cornerstone of democracy, and fraud and corruption violate this law, after which imprisonment awaits. In prison, the glory of the past becomes a thing of the past. Public officials must strictly distinguish between public and private finances, and adhering to basic legal and moral standards is the bare minimum.
The financial accounts of Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have lately come under investigation. Bookkeeping is quite simple, using accounting software to record all income and expenses, and keeping tabs on all receipts and invoices. Auditors verify the accounts by cross-checking receipts and confirming the figures. There is no such thing as accounts that are not clear unless the person in charge does not want others to know the truth.
TPP leaders can continue their attempts to deceive the public, just as Kao had tried to fool the judge about her thesis, with lawyers and doctors of law by her side joining her charade of lies. However, all these would be meaningless once the judicial authorities get hold of the financial accounts and the truth comes out.
Politics is a public matter and should be pursued with the public’s best interests in mind. If all Ko can think about is purchasing a NT$120 million (US$3.8 million) luxury house, which he said doctors can easily afford, would it not be better for him to go back to being a doctor? Seeing how Kao now faces years in prison, Ko might find out too late that there is no going back for him.
Mike Chang is an accountant based in California.
Translated by Wang Yun-fei
China badly misread Japan. It sought to intimidate Tokyo into silence on Taiwan. Instead, it has achieved the opposite by hardening Japanese resolve. By trying to bludgeon a major power like Japan into accepting its “red lines” — above all on Taiwan — China laid bare the raw coercive logic of compellence now driving its foreign policy toward Asian states. From the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas to the Himalayan frontier, Beijing has increasingly relied on economic warfare, diplomatic intimidation and military pressure to bend neighbors to its will. Confident in its growing power, China appeared to believe
After more than three weeks since the Honduran elections took place, its National Electoral Council finally certified the new president of Honduras. During the campaign, the two leading contenders, Nasry Asfura and Salvador Nasralla, who according to the council were separated by 27,026 votes in the final tally, promised to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan if elected. Nasralla refused to accept the result and said that he would challenge all the irregularities in court. However, with formal recognition from the US and rapid acknowledgment from key regional governments, including Argentina and Panama, a reversal of the results appears institutionally and politically
In 2009, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) made a welcome move to offer in-house contracts to all outsourced employees. It was a step forward for labor relations and the enterprise facing long-standing issues around outsourcing. TSMC founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) once said: “Anything that goes against basic values and principles must be reformed regardless of the cost — on this, there can be no compromise.” The quote is a testament to a core belief of the company’s culture: Injustices must be faced head-on and set right. If TSMC can be clear on its convictions, then should the Ministry of Education
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) provided several reasons for military drills it conducted in five zones around Taiwan on Monday and yesterday. The first was as a warning to “Taiwanese independence forces” to cease and desist. This is a consistent line from the Chinese authorities. The second was that the drills were aimed at “deterrence” of outside military intervention. Monday’s announcement of the drills was the first time that Beijing has publicly used the second reason for conducting such drills. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership is clearly rattled by “external forces” apparently consolidating around an intention to intervene. The targets of
RSS