Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Taiwan Political Prisoner Report, Jan. 23, 2013. Legislator Hsu-Chung-hsin, a member of the Taiwan Solidarity Union, has spoken out in defense of imprisoned Chen Shui-bian, the former Democratic Progressive Party president of the Republic of China in-exile. Chen is serving a lengthy prison sentence for alleged corruption following a controversial trial after leaving office. Hsu granted an interview at his legislative office.

Legislator Hsu, also a law professor, sees Chen’s case as one of Chinese vs. Taiwanese: “I think President Chen, as a Taiwanese voice, must be heard in the Western world because we Taiwanese people have no international stage to show our determination, our will to be the master of our own. President is one of our former leaders and his activity was for Taiwan independence. President Ma and China would like to put him in jail to deter Taiwanese from any independence movement. That is not fair for us.”

“How credible are President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) words?” is an oft-repeated question these days, even among members of his own Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), after Ma reportedly set his sights on another term as party chairman.

Putting aside the legal debate surrounding the Civil Organization Act (人民團體法) on whether he is even eligible to run again, Ma, from the perspective of political accountability, would be well advised to review his past rhetoric and his performance as party chairman before deciding whether a third term would be beneficial to the party or his own political track record.