"Coercing Tsai to Pardon Chen Shui-bian" Reveals the DPP's Decadence and Selfishness

  "Coercing Tsai to Pardon Chen Shui-bian" Reveals the DPP's Decadence and Selfishness

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

September 20, 2017

 Translation of an Excerpt

Since President Tsai came to office over a year ago, the Green camp has endlessly launched “coercion drives” demanding that she pardon Chen Shui-bian. With mounting momentum, eventually 86% of party delegates to the national party congress have cosponsored a petition for Chen Shui-bian’s pardon, with 577 delegates participating; the scene was overwhelming. This petition will be presented to the DPP national party congress scheduled for Sunday in the form of a draft resolution to be put to a vote, demanding that party chairwoman Tsai Ying-wen pardon Chen Shui-bian in her capacity as President. Such forcibly manufactured coercion of the "party will," forms exactly a satirical contrast with the theme of "don’t forget our original motive" to be proposed by the DPP in celebration of its 31^st anniversary.

The DPP’s draft resolution to pardon Chen Shui-bian is filled with selfishness and decadence, for three reasons: First, viewed from the level of essence, Chen Shui-bian is a convict for corruption, and not a political prisoner being wronged or persecuted; his prison sentence is not wrongful detention and does not involve issues of an unfair trial, hence, the demand for pardon lacks legitimacy. Second, with respect to human rights, Chen Shui-bian was granted medical parole, and in a further step, can freely live at home, thus he has been enjoying preferential treatment far exceeding ordinary convicts because of his status, virtually a free citizen. Third, from the procedural point of view, although the President wields the power to pardon, according to the law, the premise of pardon is that all the cases involving Chen Shui-bian have been tried on final appeal and that he must admit his offences and show remorse. However, on the one hand, Chen Shui-bian has refused to appear in court in subsequent trials, claiming sickness, while on the other hand, he moves about outside his home. This is veritable trampling on the rule of law; the President has no ground to pardon him by overstepping the law.

Now in complete control of the government, the DPP, on the other hand, dances to the music of nativist social groups, employing the means of "using the party to coerce the government" demanding that Chen Shui-bian be pardoned, allowing the outside world to witness the DPP’s morphing in essence and decline into decadence. For the past ten years, the entire party has lacked soul-searching and reviewing vis-à-vis the Chen Shui-bian family; the staging of a “pardon Chen Shui-bian” melodrama is indeed a natural outcome.

Attachment : none