Taipei city councilors yesterday asked the Control Yuan to probe possible breaches of the law by a so-called “music concert” headlined by Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) taking place today, saying it is an illegal fundraising scheme for his presidential election campaign and that it would also receive donations from abroad.
Billed the “KP Show,” the TPP chairman is to host music acts, entertainment, pep talks, auctions of his personal items at the Corner Max venue in Taipei, near the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park (松山文創園區).
Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City councilors Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) and Yen Juo-fang (顏若芳) were joined by attorney Cheng Wen-ting (鄭文婷), the party’s candidate for a legislative seat in Keelung, at a news conference outside the Control Yuan in Taipei.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
“The KP Show is disguised as a music concert, concealing its real purpose, which is a fundraiser for Ko’s election campaign,” Lin said, adding that Ko is using devious means to contravene the Political Donations Act (政治獻金法) by packaging it as a commercial event to circumvent the restrictions on receiving money from outside of Taiwan.
Tickets for the “concert” have been sold online and it is to be livestreamed with viewers paying for an online ticket, which Lin said is a way for people overseas, including in China, Hong Kong and Macau, to donate money.
The Political Donations Act prohibits overseas financial contributions for election candidates, yet Ko and his aides aim to misrepresent it as a commercial concert to hide its real purpose, Lin said, adding that it unmasks the fraudulent claim by Ko that “transparency” and “openness” would be the core principles of a government under his leadership.
“Therefore we are requesting that the Control Yuan conduct an investigation into this event, and we also ask that Ko clearly explain what measures he and his aides are taking to prevent such illegal political contributions,” she said.
Yen condemned Ko for claiming it was a commercial music event, when it is actually a political rally to solicit campaign donations, urging the relevant agencies to closely scrutinize the event to see from whom and where the money comes, since foreigners are banned from donating to political candidates to preclude those in other nations “buying candidates” and meddling in Taiwan’s elections.
Saying that Ko keeps insisting that it is not political, but just a commercial event, Yen asked: “What is he really up to, and why is he afraid of revealing the sources of his campaign funds?”
“He is seeking the nation’s highest office, so he must not contravene the law by saying that it is only a music event and he would pay entertainment tax... The Political Donations Act is a very important ‘sunshine law’ to root out illegal campaign contributions and undue outside influence,” Cheng said.
TPP spokeswoman Chen Chih-han (陳智菡) said that Ko had commissioned an entertainment agency to handle the “KP Show,” and that all ticket receipts and revenue would be accounted for properly.
Tickets costing up to NT$8,800 per person went on sale earlier this month, with the cost being compared to tickets for South Korean group Blackpink’s concert in Kaohsiung earlier this year.
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