A recent investigation into allegations of bribery against the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Taichung mayoral candidate, Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), has DPP officials questioning whether it was politically motivated.
“This issue doesn’t look like it has anything to do with bribery — yet they are [wasting] the resources of police and prosecutors,” DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday, referring to the event in which Su, while meeting with the coach and players from Shi Yuan Senior High School hours before they left for the World Junior Baseball Championships in the US last month, gave the group a NT$20,000 donation and promised them a dinner when they came back.
“They shouldn’t act rashly on this, as it could have important implications for the upcoming elections,” Tsai said.
Team coach Huang Wu-hsiung (黃武雄) was questioned by prosecutors last week for accepting Su’s donation on behalf of the team.
Su, a former minister of the interior, said he only wanted to encourage the players and give them some financial support before they left. The check came from a group of team supporters who had asked Su to present it on its behalf, he said.
“All I did was … represent this group of supporters to encourage our aspiring national athletes, but if the prosecutors should be questioning anybody, it should be me and not the coach,” Su said.
He also asked why his support for the team before their departure was questioned, but it was fine when his opponent, Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), treated the entire team to a lavish dinner after they won the title.
“It almost seems like it’s okay when they try ‘to add flowers to the brocade,’ but I have problems when I try ‘to give a gift of charcoal in snowy weather,’” Su said.
Ministry of Justice regulations on election bribery state that gifts by candidates should be kept under NT$30. However, in revisions published last September, the ministry said cash or gifts given for activities, including temple events, weddings and other “cultural events,” should be exempted.
Lin Feng-jeng (林峰正), executive director at the Judicial Reform Foundation, said since Su was not an official candidate yet — registration for the elections begins later this month — the regulations shouldn’t applys.
“Based on this fact alone, the investigation is completely groundless,” he said. “Besides, when we talk about bribery, it’s clearly aimed at money that influences voting behavior — something that is missing from the picture when we consider that the players are high school students.”
“What’s next? Are we going to start investigating politicians who give donations at temples or red envelopes at weddings?” he said.
According to the Taichung District Prosecutors Office, the investigation started after it received a public complaint about the gift.
At a separate setting, when asked for comment yesterday, Hu said there was nothing wrong about him in his capacity as the city mayor treating the team to a meal to celebrate its victory.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
RULES BROKEN: The MAC warned Chinese not to say anything that would be harmful to the autonomous status of Taiwan or undermine its sovereignty A Chinese couple accused of disrupting a pro-democracy event in Taipei organized by Hong Kong residents has been deported, the National Immigration Agency said in a statement yesterday afternoon. A Chinese man, surnamed Yao (姚), and his wife were escorted by immigration officials to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, where they boarded a flight to China before noon yesterday, the agency said. The agency said that it had annulled the couple’s entry permits, citing alleged contraventions of the Regulations Governing the Approval of Entry of People of the Mainland Area into the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民進入台灣地區許可辦法). The couple applied to visit a family member in
CELEBRATION: The PRC turned 75 on Oct. 1, but the Republic of China is older. The PRC could never be the homeland of the people of the ROC, Lai said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) could not be the “motherland” of the people of the Republic of China (ROC), President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks in a speech at a Double Ten National Day gala in Taipei, which is part of National Day celebrations that are to culminate in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on Thursday night next week. Lai wished the country a happy birthday and called on attendees to enjoy the performances and activities while keeping in mind that the ROC is a sovereign and independent nation. He appealed for everyone to always love their
‘EXTREME PRESSURE’: Beijing’s goal is to ‘force Taiwan to make mistakes,’ Admiral Tang Hua said, adding that mishaps could serve as ‘excuses’ for launching a blockade China’s authoritarian expansionism threatens not only Taiwan, but the rules-based international order, the navy said yesterday, after its top commander said in an interview that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could blockade the nation at will. The object of Beijing’s expansionist activities is not limited to Taiwan and its use of pressure is not confined to specific political groups or people, the navy said in a statement. China utilizes a mixture of cognitive warfare and “gray zone” military activities to pressure Taiwan, the navy said, adding that PLA sea and air forces are compressing the nation’s defensive depth. The navy continues to
RSS