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You have to love what's happening in Taiwan. Yeah, I know the story is in Beijing with the Olympics and all that, but the former President of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian, has just been banned from leaving the island and the Swiss are investigating a bank account that contains $20 million.
Chen, the first opposition candidate to become president of Taiwan, came into office promising to clean up what is known on that island as the culture of "hei qian" or dirty money. Hmmm.
On Sunday, prosecutors barred him from leaving the island pending an investigation into allegations of money laundering. On Saturday, prosecutors searched Chen Shui-bian's residence in Taipei and took away boxes of documents.
Last week, Chen admitted that he broke the law by not fully disclosing campaign donations he had received, the AP reported. He later said his wife, Wu Shu-chen, had wired $20 million to Switzerland. Oh...the old, blame the wife defense.
Now this is the same guy who vowed time and again to protect Taiwan and never betray the island. This is the same guy who based his presidency on enraging China just enough to ensure his re-election. As president he also accused Taiwan's other party, the Kuomintang, of plotting to abandon Taiwan's interests and sell-out to Communist China. Chen has also resigned from the Democratic Progressive Party. (I initially got this wrong -- saying he'd resigned as the leader of the party. The party has a new leader; it's Tsai Ying-wen, who ran the island's Mainland Affairs Council and is due in the United States. I guess she's going to be explaining Taiwan's plight to interested American law- and policy-makers.)
The Taiwan story is remarkable, however, not just because it involves the fall of failed president but because it is happening at all. It underscores the fact that Taiwan's democracy, while still plagued by corruption, is trying to keep it house clean. As such it's good news for Taiwan and, who knows, perhaps good news for the many Chinese on mainland China who look to Taiwan and its political system with some hope and maybe a little admiration. Could this happen in China, too?
from:http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/pomfretschina/2008/08/meanwhile_in_taiwan.html
Chen, the first opposition candidate to become president of Taiwan, came into office promising to clean up what is known on that island as the culture of "hei qian" or dirty money. Hmmm.
On Sunday, prosecutors barred him from leaving the island pending an investigation into allegations of money laundering. On Saturday, prosecutors searched Chen Shui-bian's residence in Taipei and took away boxes of documents.
Last week, Chen admitted that he broke the law by not fully disclosing campaign donations he had received, the AP reported. He later said his wife, Wu Shu-chen, had wired $20 million to Switzerland. Oh...the old, blame the wife defense.
Now this is the same guy who vowed time and again to protect Taiwan and never betray the island. This is the same guy who based his presidency on enraging China just enough to ensure his re-election. As president he also accused Taiwan's other party, the Kuomintang, of plotting to abandon Taiwan's interests and sell-out to Communist China. Chen has also resigned from the Democratic Progressive Party. (I initially got this wrong -- saying he'd resigned as the leader of the party. The party has a new leader; it's Tsai Ying-wen, who ran the island's Mainland Affairs Council and is due in the United States. I guess she's going to be explaining Taiwan's plight to interested American law- and policy-makers.)
The Taiwan story is remarkable, however, not just because it involves the fall of failed president but because it is happening at all. It underscores the fact that Taiwan's democracy, while still plagued by corruption, is trying to keep it house clean. As such it's good news for Taiwan and, who knows, perhaps good news for the many Chinese on mainland China who look to Taiwan and its political system with some hope and maybe a little admiration. Could this happen in China, too?
from:http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/pomfretschina/2008/08/meanwhile_in_taiwan.html
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