News of the Week (Sept. 20-26, 2007)

News of the Week

(Sept. 20-26, 2007)

1.The investigations in the discretionary fund cases involving the DPP ‘Four Princes’ and National Security Council Secretary-General Mark Chen ended on September 21. The prosecutors of the Special Investigation Unit decided to indict Vice President Annette Lu, DPP Chairman Yu Hsyi-kun, and the National Security Council Secretary-General Mark Chen, while not to indict Frank Hsieh and Su Tseng-chang.

2. A survey conducted by the United Daily and released on September 23 indicated that support ratings for the Hsieh-Su ticket had risen from 22% to 27% after the non-indictment of the discretionary fund cases involving Frank Hsieh and Su Tseng-chang. Support ratings for the Ma-Siew ticket remained around 51%. In addition, 46% of the respondents criticized that the prosecutors had used different criteria on indicting the DPP ‘Four Princes’ and Ma Ying-jeou. 20% of respondents considered that the prosecutors had used the same criteria on the discretionary fund cases. 31% of the respondents said that it was hard to judge.

3.DPP Chairman Yu Hsyi-kun was indicted because of his discretionary fund case. He tendered his resignation on September 21 through fax while being abroad. In less than 12 hours, Yu said that he could not suddenly leave his post as Chairman in Canada, adding that he would quit his post after the National Party Congress scheduled for September 30. The Senior Advisor to the President Koo Kuan-min was opposed to the resignation of Chairman Yu, and pro-independence groups were also urgently networking with each other to support Chairman Yu. According to media reports, the ambivalence of Yu has ignited a power struggle inside the DPP party.

4. On September 22, the KMT Presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou said that both the pan-Blue and pan-Green camps all criticized the different criteria adopted by the prosecutors in the discretionary fund cases. Ma said, “In order to convince the people, the prosecutors have an obligation to clarify suspicions.” Frank Hsieh said, “If elected President, I would grant amnesty to all involved in the discretionary fund and related cases.” In response, the KMT Presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou further said, “It is necessary to set a set of criteria for the discretionary fund cases, not waiting for the ruling on final appeal,” adding that the prosecutors should not indict those who should not be indicted, lest it should waste out judicial resources. Ma went on to say, “Pardon or amnesty would be unpractical. This is the duty of the prosecutors, not the President’s.”

5. In response to the fact that Frank Hsieh and Su Tseng-chang were not indicted by the prosecution in the investigation of discretionary fund cases, the KMT legislative caucus has stressed that legal provisions regarding the use of discretionary fund have confused 6,500 top executives around the nation. The draft amendment, Article 78-1, of the Auditing Act, proposed by both the KMT and the PFP, is still in the negotiation stage between the ruling and the opposition parties. The KMT caucus hopes that the proposed amendment will be passed the soonest, so as to decriminalize the “historical quandary” caused by the discretionary fund system.

6. The cross-Strait negotiations over the issue of whether the Olympic Torch would pass through Taiwan have broken up. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Sept. 21 that because both sides were unable to reach agreement, the IOC had decided that the Torch would not go to Taipei. The Executive Yuan’s Sports Affairs Council said that although the Torch was unable to come, Taiwan would still take part in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

7. In response to the fact that the Olympic Torch is unable to come, the KMT Presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou said, “ I really hope that I could bring an ROC national flag to greet the Torch. The breaking up of the negotiations was harmful for both sides of the Strait. The Mainland side could show more tolerance.” “It’s a pity that the lack of mutual trust across the Strait has led to the breaking up of the negotiations. I feel very sorry about it,” Ma added.

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