Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Squeaky clean Ma likes to roll in the mud

Chang Kuo-tsai 張國財

“Don’t put on your shoes in a melon patch; don’t adjust your cap under a plum tree”: So goes the Chinese idiom gua tian li xia, used to refer to suspicious circumstances best avoided.

Its meaning seems to be lost on former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), a man who considers himself above suspicion.

NPP lashes out at DPP over justice, referendum bills

Taipei Times

The New Power Party (NPP) caucus yesterday staged a protest in the legislature, blasting the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for vetoing its motions to review a bill to promote transitional justice and a draft amendment to the Referendum Act (公民投票法).

Led by NPP Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), the five NPP lawmakers held up placards and chanted slogans while their motions calling for a review of the DPP’s transitional justice bill and the amendment to the Referendum Act were being voted down by DPP lawmakers.

Ching Fu case chance to clean up politics

Li Kuan-long 李坤隆

While the scandal surrounding the government’s contract with Ching Fu Shipbuilding Co provides a glimpse of the ugliest side of officialdom, the dogfight between the pan-blue and pan-green camps might result in new political developments in Taiwan.

After all, regardless of the outcome of the case, the two camps have done everything they can to expose each other’s dirty secrets. It is unavoidable that they each will end up weakened and that is certain to change the political climate.

MND censures 24 officers over Ching Fu

Taipei Times

Then-vice minister of national defense Lee Hsi-ming, who is currently serving as the chief of general staff, is pictured on Feb. 24.
Photo: Tu Chu-min, Taipei Times

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday censured a number of top navy officers, including Vice Minister of National Defense Admiral Pu Tze-chun (蒲澤春) and Chief of General Staff Admiral Lee Hsi-ming (李喜明), in connection with a minesweeper procurement scandal.

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