Thousands gathered in Taipei yesterday to support Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) founder Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who has been indicted on corruption charges, and to voice anger over what they say is “political persecution” by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government.
On a wintry and drizzly day, supporters of the party assembled at Liberty Square, with many spilling onto the adjacent Zhongshan S Road, to show their solidarity with the former Taipei mayor.
Organizers claimed more than 150,000 people took part in the event.
Photo: CNA
Against a stage backdrop showing a picture of a solemn-looking President William Lai (賴清德) and the Presidential Office Building, many attendees decried what organizers said was the political persecution of Ko by the government.
TPP Acting Chairman and Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said the main purpose of the rally was to “call out the green authoritarianism.”
“Regardless of party affiliations, the people of Taiwan should come together to demand that President Lai stop reaching his hands into the judiciary and give us back a pure and independent judicial system,” he added.
Photo: CNA
Ko, 65, was indicted by Taipei prosecutors on Dec. 26 on charges of bribery and other forms of corruption in connection with real estate dealings during his second term as Taipei mayor from 2018 to 2022. He is currently detained.
He is also charged with embezzling political donations to the TPP during his campaign for president in last year’s election, and is facing jail time of up to 28.5 years.
Ko received 3.69 million votes in the election, behind Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), who received 4.67 million votes.
Photo: CNA
Ko resigned as TPP chairman on Jan. 1.
After accepting the party’s leadership, Huang called for the rally yesterday, which was Judicial Day in Taiwan.
Several lawmakers from the largest opposition party, the KMT, which has worked with the TPP to push through several bills in the legislature, also showed their support at the event.
Among the KMT lawmakers present were Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介), Weng Hsiao-ling (翁曉玲), Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) and Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強).
Hsieh accused the DPP government of using the judicial system as a tool for political gain, adding that if the government had targeted Ko, then it might go after him or any other person.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) called the TPP’s event “ridiculous” during a news conference yesterday morning.
DPP spokesperson Wu Cheng (吳崢) last week said that it was “regrettable” that the TPP and KMT seek to “attack the judicial system” and “rationalize [their] corrupt practices,” when their members were embroiled in legal cases.
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