Justice Minister Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) became embroiled this week in two controversies, one surrounding his proposed election activities and the other surrounding payments he has received for his membership in the Central Election Commission despite his almost never having attended the commission's meetings.
Chen, a Democratic Progressive Party member and a popular official with a reputation for impartiality and fairness, said on Dec. 23 at a press conference about vote-buying and campaign violence that he would campaign for his party during next year's presidential election.
At the press conference Chen said that he would participate in campaign activities because the presidential election was the people's final say on the ruling party's performance. He also said that for the past three and half years the opposition parties had been making accusations that his efforts against organized crime were in fact politically motivated, and that he was waging "green terror."
"It is necessary that I speak out during the campaign for people on the front lines of law enforcement, and defend our policies," Chen said.
His actions, however, generated mostly negative reaction from the public. Chen's own party said that it would not arrange for Chen to get involved in the campaign, and Vice President Annette Lu (
"From my point of view, it is very important to maintain impartiality in justice, and the issue of the justice minister's getting involved in the election campaign needs further consideration," Lu said on Dec. 24.
Facing pressure from all sides, Chen said on Dec. 25 that he would not participate in the campaign.
"Since many people have strong doubts about the impact that the justice minister's participation in the election campaign might have on cracking down on vote-buying, I will not appear in any campaign event during the election," Chen said.
That was not the end of Chen's troubles, however.
On Dec. 24 Chen had stated his intention to resign as a member of the Central Election Commission, which is in charge of elections' administrative affairs, so that he could participate in election activities.
On the same day, media outlets reported that as a member of the commission, Chen had been paid about NT$315,000 [US$9,260] as a transportation subsidy over three and a half years, but he had attended only one meeting.
Chen said on Dec. 25 that his schedule was mostly arranged by his aides, who decided which events he should attend. He said on many occasions the commission's meetings clashed with his ministry's meetings, and so he had not attended the commission's meetings.
"I never handled the money," Chen said. "My aides took care of that."
He also said that the Executive Yuan, or the Cabinet, should decide what should be done about the money he had received.
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
"When I was a commission official, I would attend the meetings as often as possible because it was necessary for the justice minister to offer legal advice," Ma said.
"If Chen really did not show up at the meetings, returning the subsidy would be the most acceptable thing to the public."
Chen said yesterday he would continue accepting the money.
"The money is not an attendance subsidy," Chen said, "but rather a transportation subsidy. Receiving an attendance subsidy would depend on attending meetings. But the transportation subsidy is part of the commission's budget, and is a reward for membership in the commission. Receiving the transportation subsidy is not wrong."
A free exhibition aimed at teaching the public about air-raid shelters and basic emergency personal protection skills today opened on the concourse level of the Taipei MRT's Ximen Station. The event, organized by the National Police Agency, aims to raise awareness about disaster preparedness ahead of nationwide air raid drills scheduled from July 15 to 18, which are part of broader urban resilience exercises. The exhibition outlines the recommended actions people should take depending on whether they are indoors, commuting or outdoors when air-raid sirens sound. It also teaches people how to equip air-raid shelters and pack emergency "go bags," with displays
A first shipment of five tons of Taiwan tilapia was sent from Tainan to Singapore on Wednesday, following an order valued at NT$600,000 (US$20,500) placed with a company in the city. The products, including frozen whole fish and pre- cooked fish belly, were dispatched from Jiangjun Fishing Harbor, where a new aquatic processing and logistics center is under construction. At the launch, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) called the move a “breakthrough,” marking Taiwan’s expansion into the Singaporean tilapia market. Taiwan’s tilapia exports have traditionally focused on the United States, Canada, and the Middle East, Huang said, adding that the new foothold in
An electric bus charging facility at Taipei Metro’s Beitou Depot officially opened yesterday with 22 charging bays to serve the city’s 886 electric buses. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) told a ceremony to mark the opening of the facility that the city aims to fully electrify its bus fleet by 2030. The number of electric buses has grown from about 650 last year to 886 this year and is expected to surpass 1,000 by the end of the year, Chiang said. Setting up the charging station in a metro depot optimizes land and energy use, as the metro uses power mainly during the
An exhibition demonstrating the rejuvenation of the indigenous Kuskus Village in Pingtung County’s Mudan Township (牡丹) opened at the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s conservation station in Taipei on Thursday. Agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) said they have been promoting the use and development of forestry resources to local indigenous residents for eight years to drive regional revitalization. While modern conservation approaches mostly stem from western scientific research, eco-friendly knowledge and skills passed down through generations of indigenous people, who have lived in Taiwan for centuries, could be more suitable for the environment, he said. The agency’s Pingtung branch Director-General Yang Jui-fen (楊瑞芬)
RSS