A significant number of the city and county councilor candidates nominated by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) are either on trial or have been found guilty of corruption, the New Power Party (NPP) said yesterday.
The NPP said it reviewed 1,769 DPP and KMT candidates for the Nov. 24 nine-in-one elections and found that more than 100 have either been charged with or found guilty of bribery, graft, electoral fraud, improper use of influence or other forms of corruption.
Thirty-eight DPP candidates, or 9.6 percent, have a dubious history, while 67 KMT candidates, or 13 percent, have faced charges at some point, the NPP said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Pingtung County has the most candidates involved in corruption, with 17 found guilty, while among the special municipalities, Kaohsiung topped the list with 10 candidates who have been found guilty of corruption, NPP data showed.
The findings show there is only a small gap between the percentages of councilor candidates involved in corruption from the two major parties, NPP caucus whip Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) said, adding: “Do the DPP and KMT consider it acceptable to nominate candidates with records of corruption?”
NPP Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who is also DPP chairperson, and KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) should explain why the parties have nominated such candidates and whether they support them despite their involvement in corruption cases.
“The list of candidates speaks to the two parties’ commitment to democracy,” Huang said. “The parties are permitting them to damage the foundation of local democracy by exchanging money and benefits.”
That candidates involved in corruption can still be nominated for elected office is unbelievable and must be condemned, Citizens’ Congress Watch executive director Chang Hung-lin (張宏林) said.
“A properly functioning parliament is essential to a functional nation, yet Taiwan’s local councils are often where the legacy of authoritarianism has been best preserved,” Chang said.
“Until the day local councils are purged of corruption, Taiwan cannot be a functional democracy,” he said.
“If the two parties are unwilling to commit to improving Taiwan’s democracy, the nation’s legislative bodies will continue to be controlled by the same clans,” he said, adding that people should vote against corrupt candidates.
The Central Election Commission should document the corruption records of candidates in election notices, instead of simply permitting candidates to boast of their achievements and promote their platforms, he said.
The NPP data only covered the two major parties, Chang said, adding that the actual number of candidates involved in corruption must be much higher.
He said that more information should be disclosed.
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)
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
Rallies supporting recall efforts targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers as well as a rally organized by the KMT opposing the recall campaigns are to take place in Taipei today. Traffic controls were in place on Taipei City Hall Road starting from 10pm last night, and would be in place on Jinan Road Sec 1 from 8am today, police said. Recall campaign groups in Taipei and New Taipei City advocating the recall of KMT legislators, along with the “Safeguard Taiwan Anti-Communist Alliance” have announced plans for motorcycle parades and public rallies in both cities today. Permission has been granted for campaigners to hold
M1A2T ABRAMS TANKS: Thirty-eight of the 108 armored vehicles were delivered in December last year, with the rest to be delivered between later this year and next year The military is to live stream a round of live-fire training sessions on Thursday featuring its newly delivered M1A2T Abrams tanks, allowing the public to witness the training results firsthand, the Ministry of National Defense said. Based on the ministry’s plan, the live-fire training session, scheduled to take place at an army tank training ground in the Kengzihkou (坑子口) area of Hsinchu County, is to feature the US-made armored vehicles firing their 120mm smoothbore guns at moving and stationary targets, while stationary or in motion. At least one senior government official is expected to preside over the round of training sessions, per
RSS