Tsai Ing-wen Should Not Underestimate the Inklings of Corruption Revealed by the Cigarette Smuggling Case

 Tsai Ing-wen Should Not Underestimate the Inklings of Corruption Revealed by the Cigarette Smuggling Case

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

July 26, 2019

 Translation of an Excerpt

National security personnel utilized the presidential chartered flight to smuggle duty-free cigarettes; after four days of investigation, the truth is still muddy. Although the prosecutors and investigators obtained the list of 50 persons buying the cigarettes, what outside circles have seen is only the tip of the iceberg, as quite a few personnel involved in the case are still providing cover for one another. President Tsai was irate a number of times, being dissatisfied that the cigarette smuggling case undermined her “diplomatic achievements” on this trip. In fact, this case has revealed the smell of corruption inside the government that officials from top to bottom are caring about their personal interests and seeking profits; this is something, we are afraid, that Tsai Ing-wen should be more prudent and on the alert about.

The “diplomatic achievements” of presidential visits are mostly pro forma glory; however, national security personnel seized the opportunity to seek personal profits; this was accomplished by destroying the system and taking advantage of the loopholes. The symbolic meaning of corruption is something that should not be overlooked.

This time, what was exposed by the cigarette smuggling case, however, is a stinky smell of the worst corruption: the main character of those who planned the scandal was the national security special agents assigned to be responsible for the President’s security; they utilized the corridor for chiefs of state’s visits abroad, and those who colluded with them were from the official presidential residence and several subsidiaries of China Airlines, undermining the state law and order and customs discipline. Ten thousand cartons of cigarettes were a small matter by itself; the graft of officials and the perforated system are egregious; how could the public feel at ease when they witness this with their eyes?

Once the protective gear of the government's good faith and ethics is broken, it is nearly an impossible mission to mend to the original state. Just imagine, the President herself talked loudly about reforms in high-sounding rhetoric, but she has incessantly assisted her close subordinates to win promotions and ranks, condoning specific factions to occupy high places and grab power. Thus, casting a glance, the Greenization in government agencies and state-owned enterprises is rampant. No wonder even a lowly officer in the security detail of the official presidential residence became a copycat, knowing how to utilize the badge of special agents for self-interests, ordering the subsidiaries of China Airlines to run its errands. Seeing these scenes, could the public have natural respect for the nation’s leader?

What is disappointing is that the bureaucratic faces of some related units have all the way wanted to cover up the scandal. Take China Airlines for instance. From the very beginning, it issued a statement pointing out that buying duty-free cigarettes was “on-line pre-ordering” by passengers on the chartered flight themselves; this is completely baseless. Later, with regard to its subsidiaries that aided covering up and collaborating in transporting duty-free cigarettes, China Airlines attempted to downgrade the seriousness of the case, and wantonly meted out one major demerit and two demerits to three employees, hoping to befuddle through. With this kind of mentality, China Airlines truly has no regard for the force of public opinion! Not only that, the case has had its head and tail cut off, so much so that prosecutors and investigators only investigated National Security personnel, and China Airlines only asked for the accountability of lower-level employees; as to those who interlaced and commanded on the top, however, easily passed muster. Let us ask, with such a huge amount of duty-free cigarettes slipping through the grasp of Customs, leading to the losses in the national treasury and system, is the government not going to pursue the accountability of how the cruxes became ruptured?

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