The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is determined to zero out its assets, KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said yesterday, as he accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration of exploiting the issue to persecute the party.
The party has always believed in having a healthy democratic system and fair competition among political parties, Chiang told a KMT Central Standing Committee meeting in Taipei.
Those features are the cornerstones of the nation’s constitutional system, as well as values shared by Taiwanese society, he added.
Photo: CNA
Accusing the DPP administration of abandoning neutrality after securing the presidency and a majority in the legislature, Chiang said the DPP has taken advantage of its access to administrative resources to exploit issues and intervene in elections.
With the passage of the Act Governing the Settlement of Ill-
gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations (政黨及其附隨組織不當取得財產處理條例) and the establishment of the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee, the DPP “replaced judicial power with administrative investigative power” to target other political parties, he said.
At the KMT’s 19th National Congress on Sept. 4, 2016, the party resolved to donate to charity any remaining assets after subtracting its debts, with the exception of party offices and the funds needed to pay retired and current employees, he said, adding that the resolution shows that there is a consensus within the party to zero out its assets and donate them to charity.
He accused the committee of using administrative means to thwart the KMT’s wishes to completely dispose of its assets as soon as possible.
The committee’s actions have greatly affected the rights of the KMT’s retired workers, Chiang said, adding that he believed it is the committee’s “political intention” to continue exploiting the topic of the KMT’s assets.
The assets that the KMT has accumulated over the years have their historical origins, but the party is not afraid to examine the legality of those sources, he said.
Chiang called for the resumption of negotiations between the party and the committee, saying the committee and the DPP administration need to resolve the issue together.
Ministry of the Interior data showed that as of July 2018, the KMT had NT$18.9 billion (US$636.75 million at the current exchange rate) in assets, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) reported.
The KMT on Dec. 6 last year said that it was struggling to pay its staff after the committee froze its assets.
The committee at the time said that the claim was untrue, and that the KMT had declared about NT$420 million in income in 2018.
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