This time, Chin Huei-chu (
"If what I said is false and my evidence is bogus, I will go to court with him. I'm prepared to fight it out," Chin said.
For the past three days, the People First Party legislator has made public several dozen documents, including a number of originals, in an attempt to prove the truth of her allegation that President Chen Shui-bian (
Chin asserts the documents -- which include correspondence between Chen and Chinese President Jiang Zemin (
The only problem, it seems, is that the only person who believes Chin is Chin.
The two most obvious questions that arise are: Why on earth would China pick a presidential candidate from the pro-independence DPP, and would Chen really be so careless as to leave such incriminating "evidence" behind?
All parties involved deny any knowledge of the events. Not only have officials at China's Taiwan Affairs Office called Chin's allegation "absurd and foolish," but Taiwan's National Security Bureau Director-General Ting Yu-chou (
A libel suit has been filed against Chin by Winston Wang (王文洋), chairman of the Grace THW Group (宏仁企業集團), whom Chin alleges is a secret envoy for President Chen.
Despite the disbelief that surrounds her, Chin remains steadfast. "The cleverest trick is always the most inconceivable," Chin said.
This incident is typical of Chin's headline-seeking style.
As an opposition politician, Chin won a reputation for having a strict and aggressive attitude in dealing with city government officials, including Chen when he was mayor of Taipei from 1994 through 1998.
Chin often showed an extremely tough and scathing tongue.
In 1998, Chin played a key role in exposing the fact that Ma Yung-cheng (
The case, which brought into question the morality of civil servants, led to Ma's resignation.
Chin was elected legislator in December 1998, winning more votes than any other candidate from her constituency.
In June 2000, Chin made yet another effort to dig up scandal -- this time about Minister of Education Ovid Tzeng (
In July, Chin once again gained media exposure for her interpellation against former premier Tang Fei (
In a game show-like format, Chin showed pictures of some deputy ministers and asked Tang to identify their names, positions and specialties. Despite Tang's failure to answer most questions, Chin continued her interrogation asking, "which Cabinet members have the shortest name and the longest name" and "who is the oldest and who the youngest."
Images of Chin's throwing one question after another at Tang as he bent his brows in deep thought were broadcast on TV and made headlines in papers.
Not only was Chin criticized by the public for embarrassing a government official, she was named the legislator with "the poorest performance" in an interpellation in an evaluation of legislators, based on a survey of reporters covering the legislature beat, which was released by the Taipei Society (
In response to the negative comments on her style, Chin said it was not her goal "to please everyone."
"Whether or not to support me is a decision for the voters. The fact that I was elected with the most votes in Taipei-north district two years ago shows there are still many people who support me," Chin said.
In regard to her on-going allegation against the president, Chin asserts the action was taken based on her "sense of justice," "sense of responsibility" and "sense of mission."
"Anyone who has done something unlawful deserves censure. That includes Chen Shui-bian along with everyone else," Chin said.
KMT legislator and former city councilor Apollo Chen (陳學聖), a close comrade of Chin before she joined the PFP early this year, described Chin as a straightforward politician who tends to "stubbornly cling to her own views."
"Chin has never changed her style [throughout her political career]," Chen said.
He also said Chin is gambling with the highest of stakes -- the credibility of a public figure -- now that she has opted to believe in a story with so many loopholes. "She will either win it all or lose it all," he said.
GAINING STEAM: The scheme initially failed to gather much attention, with only 188 cards issued in its first year, but gained popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic Applications for the Employment Gold Card have increased in the past few years, with the card having been issued to a total of 13,191 people from 101 countries since its introduction in 2018, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Those who have received the card have included celebrities, such as former NBA star Dwight Howard and Australian-South Korean cheerleader Dahye Lee, the NDC said. The four-in-one Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and re-entry permit. It was first introduced in February 2018 through the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法),
WARNING: From Jan. 1 last year to the end of last month, 89 Taiwanese have gone missing or been detained in China, the MAC said, urging people to carefully consider travel to China Lax enforcement had made virtually moot regulations banning civil servants from making unauthorized visits to China, the Control Yuan said yesterday. Several agencies allowed personnel to travel to China after they submitted explanations for the trip written using artificial intelligence or provided no reason at all, the Control Yuan said in a statement, following an investigation headed by Control Yuan member Lin Wen-cheng (林文程). The probe identified 318 civil servants who traveled to China without permission in the past 10 years, but the true number could be close to 1,000, the Control Yuan said. The public employees investigated were not engaged in national
The zero emissions ship Porrima P111 was launched yesterday in Kaohsiung, showcasing the nation’s advancement in green technology, city Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said. The nation last year acquired the Swiss-owned vessel, formerly known as Turanor PlanetSolar, in a bid to boost Taiwan’s technology sector, as well as ecotourism in Palau, Chen said at the ship’s launch ceremony at Singda Harbor. Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) also attended the event. The original vessel was the first solar-powered ship to circumnavigate the globe in a voyage from 2010 to 2012. Taiwan-based Porrima Inc (保利馬) installed upgrades with
ENHANCE DETERRENCE: Taiwan has to display ‘fierce resolve’ to defend itself for China to understand that the costs of war outweigh potential gains, Koo said Taiwan’s armed forces must reach a high level of combat readiness by 2027 to effectively deter a potential Chinese invasion, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) published yesterday. His comments came three days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the US Senate that deterring a Chinese attack on Taiwan requires making a conflict “cost more than what it’s worth.” Rubio made the remarks in response to a question about US policy on Taiwan’s defense from Republican Senator John Cornyn, who said that Chinese
RSS