President Chen Shui-bian used to complain that our judiciary isn’t fair.He has declared prosecutors and judges favor opposition leaders, including Kuomintang presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou, who was acquitted of embezzlement only a week or so ago.Two decisions made by prosecutors on Friday proved they are not just as President Chen said they are.In fact, they may even be said to favor Ma’s Democratic Progressive Party rival and his running mate.
Frank Hsieh and Su Tseng-chang were charged with embezzlement like Ma Ying-jeou.The prosecutors who indicted Ma investigated their cases, but neither of the two on the DPP presidential ticket was indicted, though three other leaders of the ruling party, including Vice President Annette Lu, were indicted for corruption and forgery.Facing trial together with Lu are DPP chairman Yu Shyi-kun and National Security Council secretary-general Chen Tang Sun.
Both Hsieh and Su are proven white, but Ma is not yet out of the woods.Prosecutor Hou Kuan-jen, who absolved the DPP ticket, has appealed the verdict of innocence handed down to the Kuomintang standard bearer.The Taiwan high court has yet to rule on the Ma case.Should he be convicted and sentenced to more than 10 years in prison, Ma would have to withdraw from the 2008 race.At any rate, Hou’s new decision, which reversed his previous one against Ma, handicaps the opposition party candidate.
Yu has tendered his resignation as chairman of the governing party.The chances are that President Chen would be the chairman. As a matter of fact, DPP leaders are urging Chen to take the helms of the party again to help it win the two 2008 elections.Voters will go to the polls to elect a new Legislative Yuan on January 12 and their new president on March 22.
With Yu bowing out, the DPP is not likely to hitch a “Taiwan independence” clause as a rider to its “normal nation resolution,” which is expected to be adopted at a national party congress at the end of this month.Yu was the prime mover behind the controversial rider, which almost everyone concerned didn’t like for it’s too provocative.China already regards as a move toward de jure independence the resolution, which paves the way for a new constitution President Chen has promised to give Taiwan before he steps down on May 20 next year.If the rider is added, Beijing has no alternative but to declare war on Taiwan, albeit there won’t be an immediate invasion.Yu’s departure has defused that possible time bomb, at least for the time being.
Nobody knows what President Chen, who openly approved of the Yu plan, will do next.Indications are that he might buckle under pressure from Washington and let the resolution pass without the rider.
（本文刊載於96.09.24 China Post第4版，本文代表作者個人意見）
王順民
(
11月22日 15:13
)
劉新圓
(
2007年10月4日 15:04
)
