The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday questioned figures released by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) showing that it has NT$16.6 billion (US$503.8 million) in party assets, urging it to be honest.
Amid rumors that the KMT has more than NT$100 billion in assets, the party caucus on Thursday released its figures from the end of last year, showing that it has NT$16.6 billion in assets, and said that if the party were to donate all the assets, after deducting personnel and other expenses, it would only be able to donate NT$2.1 billion.
“According to figures released by the KMT in 1993, it had more than NT$900 billion in assets, but now it is saying that it only has NT$16.6 billion,” DPP caucus whip Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) told a news conference. “I suspect the figure released by the KMT is fake, because it is not sincere about returning party assets. The KMT should face the issue honestly and support the passage of the proposed bill on its ill-gotten party assets.”
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
DPP legislators Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) and Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) also accused the KMT of deceiving the public.
“The KMT had NT$900 billion in 1993 and the number was NT$91.8 billion in 1998, and now it is NT$16.6 billion. Do they realize how big the difference is?” Hsu said. “I wonder if the KMT is making a fool out of Taiwanese.”
Tsai said that when New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) was sworn in as KMT chairman in January last year, the party had NT$24.2 billion in assets, adding that he wondered if there were irregularities that allowed the party to spend NT$8 billion in a year’s time.
DPP Legislator Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) lashed out at the KMT’s plan to donate NT$2.1 billion to resolve the assets issue.
“The KMT apparently wants to buy indulgences with a NT$2.1 billion donation, but things are not so easy, because we want to know how it received the money and how it spent it,” Chuang said.
KMT caucus whip Lin Te-fu (林德福) said that he would not argue with the DPP caucus, since the DPP would not believe the KMT regardless of what it said.
Lin also accused the DPP of launching a political purge against the KMT, which he said is exactly the opposite of what president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said on the night of her election: That all DPP members must be “humble, humble and humble.”
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