Chen Shui-bian Should Quit the DPP to Save the DPP!

Chen Shui-bian Should Quit the DPP to Save the DPP!
United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
May 6, 2008

Chao Tien-lin, official spokesman for Frank Hsieh's office, said that Chen Shui-bian was in on the PNG corruption case from beginning to end, therefore he cannot escape responsibility. He said that the DPP is now entering a crucial period of reform, and called on Chen Shui-bian to resign from the party on his own initiative.

Chao Tien-lin's statement reflects what many DPP members are thinking but not saying. The DPP's belated "reform" reflects their dawning awareness of the need to make amends for Chen Shui-bian's eight years of misrule and malfeasance. If the DPP cannot bring itself to condemn Chen Shui-bian's crimes, it will be never be able to rehabilitate the DPP or repay its debt to society. The biggest debt the Democratic Progressive Party owes Taiwan is none other than Chen Shui-bian himself. How should the DPP repay its debt and rebuild its credibility?

Condemning Chen Shui-bian is not enough to reform the DPP. But refusing to condemn Chen Shui-bian will prevent them from ever reforming the DPP. If a bottom-up, grass roots movement condemns Chen Shui-bian, it may split the DPP. Only if Chen Shui-bian takes the initiative to quit the party, can a divisive internal struggle be avoided. It would be the biggest gift Chen Shui-bian could give the DPP.

Chen Shui-bian should repay the DPP by resigning from the party. Ever since the 2004 "Bulletgate" hoax, a minefield of corruption cases have exploded beneath the DPP's feet. The entire DPP, nay, the entire nation, has paid the price for this corruption. Those who backed Chen Shui-bian unconditionally have destroyed their own party, along with the entire nation. The DPP covered for Chen Shui-bian's crimes. It is an accomplice to his misdeeds. In the end however, not only was the DPP unable to save Chen Shui-bian, it enabled him to take the entire party down with him. It enabled him to inflict irreparable harm to the entire nation.

Now that the DPP belatedly hopes to engage in "reform," it must repent for eight years of Chen Shui-bian's misrule and malfeasance. Short of that, It cannot repay its debt to society. Short of that, it cannot restore the DPP's political credibility. It is time for Chen Shui-bian to repay his debt to the DPP. He should sacrifice himself to save the party. He should quit the party to save the party. He should establish a foundation for the DPP's reform and enable its rehabilitation and rebirth. This is what Chao Tien-lin has in mind. It is the consensus within the DPP. It is also the hope of many on Taiwan. Chen Shui-bian once maintained that "I cannot bear all of the DPP's burdens." Is the DPP now supposed to bear all of Chen Shui-bian's burdens?

Actually calls for Chen Shui-bian to quit the party did not begin today. Once Chen's corruption scandals began coming to light, even Wang Hsing-nan advocated that Chen Shui-bian quit the party. Because Chen Shui-bian had hijacked the Deep Greens, or because the DPP still hoped to ride to victory on Chen Shui-bian's coattails, the situation continued to deteriorate to where it is today, to the legislative and presidential election debacles. The PNG scandal finally exposed the entire Presidential Office as a den of thieves. From Chen Che-nan, Wu Shu-chen, Chao Yu-tsu, Yu Lian-fa, Chen Cheng-hui, to Ma Yong-cheng. Now add Chiou I-jen, and more importantly, Chen Shui-bian himself. Every last one of them, rotten to the core. Is the DPP still afraid to demand Chen Shui-bian's resignation from the party? Is Chen Shui-bian still reluctant to quit the party to save the party?

Chiou I-jen took the initiative to quit the party on his own initiative, adding that "There is nothing unfair" about this. To some degree he is still willing to resign to save the party. If Chang Chun-hsiung remains unwilling to fire Chiou I-jen and Huang Chih-fang, he should at least accept their voluntary resignations. Chang Chun-hsiung needs to realize that this is necessary to clear the DPP's political debts. On then can the DPP rebuild its credibility.

Chen Shui-bian's greatest sin against the DPP was to discredit "Taiwan values" per se. Chiou I-jen has taken the initiative to quit the party because of the PNG scandal. Chen Shui-bian should take the intiative to quit the party for eight years of misrule and malfeasance. After all, the DPP backed Chen Shui-bian unconditionally for eight years. Now that the party is undergoing painful reform, assuming Chen Shui-bian feels any sense of obligation toward the DPP, any sense of repentance or atonement, he should cease holding the DPP hostage. He should spare the DPP. He should take the initiative to quit the party. He should give the DPP chance to clear its debt to society and the chance to start anew.

As long as Chen Shui-bian takes the initiative to quit the party, the DPP's circumstances will immediately change for the better. If Chen Shui-bian quits the party, that will provide a foundation for the DPP's reform. Isn't this something Chen Shui-bian ought to do? Is Chen Shui-bian really willing to allow the entire party bear the burden for one individual? Is Chen Shui-bian really willing to bankrupt the entire party, destroy the entire party?

Those within the Democratic Progressive Party who share Chao Tien-lin's views should speak up in one voice. This is the DPP's moment of truth. Chen Shui-bian must quit the party to save the party! If Chiou I-jen can, why can't Chen Shui-bian?

陳水扁應以退黨救黨來報答民進黨！
【聯合報╱社論】
2008.05.06 02:54 am

謝長廷辦公室發言人趙天麟說，陳水扁對巴紐案始終知情，因此難辭其咎。他說，民進黨正進入改革關鍵時期，他呼籲陳水扁主動退黨。

趙 天麟的呼籲，或許正是許多民進黨人椎心泣血、心照不宣之言。民進黨如今所謂的「改革」，其實就是要對陳水扁八年失政敗德進行反省與悔罪。若不能對陳水扁的 罪咎進行徹底批判，非但無以重建民進黨的價值體系，且將使民進黨形同永遠不能向台灣社會清償這八年失政敗德的主體債務，而陳水扁正是民進黨欠台灣社會最大 的一筆「政治債」。前債未清，如何重建民進黨的政治債信？

雖然批扁不是改革的全部，但不批扁就絕不可能完成改革。然而，倘是「由下而上」發動批扁，民進黨就可能分裂；唯若陳水扁能主動退黨，即可免於內鬥分裂，亦是陳水扁對民進黨改革工程的最重大獻禮。

陳 水扁應以退黨報答民進黨！自二○○四年「兩顆子彈」以來，繼之以雷區全面引爆一般地炸開了種種重大貪腐案件；四年來，民進黨可謂是賠上了整個黨、賠上了整 個國家，全面力挺陳水扁遂行其「毀黨自救」、「毀國自救」的工程。就此以論，民進黨對陳水扁已是「仁至義盡」，亦是「惡至罪盡」，可謂肝腦塗地；然而，最 後民進黨非但未救回貪腐無狀的陳水扁，也斷送了整個黨，重傷了國家社會。

現在，民進黨要「改革」了，也就是必須對陳水扁八年的失政敗德進 行徹底反省及悔罪了。非如此，不能對台灣社會償清舊債；非如此，不可能重建民進黨的政治債信。所以，現在也到了陳水扁應當誠心報答民進黨的時機；陳水扁應 當捨己救黨，退黨救黨，為民進黨的改革提供前提與基礎，為民進黨的更生再造創造契機。這不但是趙天麟的思考，亦是民進黨內有心人的共識，更是眾多對民進黨 有期待的台灣人民的心思。陳水扁曾是「不可民進黨負我一人」，如今難道仍是「寧可我一人負盡整個民進黨」？

其實，要「陳水扁退黨」的呼籲 非自今始，在貪案頻爆之際，連王幸男都曾主張阿扁退黨。當時或因陳水扁挾持深綠，或因黨內仍有陳水扁可能帶領全黨過關的僥倖心理，遂使情勢繼續惡化至如今 這種立委、總統選舉慘輸狂敗卻猶然見不到底的地步；而巴紐案的爆發，終於暴露出整個總統府已經形同一個賊窩匪窟，自陳哲男、吳淑珍、趙玉柱、余連發、陳鎮 慧，至馬永成，如今再添一個邱義仁，更不可漏掉陳水扁那個本尊，每一張臉孔都是非貪即腐、可鄙可憎；然則，難道民進黨還不敢命陳水扁退黨？而陳水扁亦仍吝 於退黨救黨？

邱義仁主動退黨，並認為這「沒有什麼不公平」，多少尚存「退黨救黨」之心；而張俊雄若不能主動將邱義仁及黃志芳免職，至少亦應接受二人的主動辭職。張俊雄應知，這些都是必須即時清償的「政治債」，此時不清，民進黨即再難重建社會債信。

陳 水扁對民進黨所造成的最大罪孽，就是摧毀了整個「台灣價值」。邱義仁已為巴紐案主動退黨，陳水扁更應為八年的失政敗德主動退黨。畢竟，民進黨已因八年挺扁 護貪而殘敗至此，如今正在改革更生的痛苦之中；陳水扁若對民進黨尚有一絲感恩圖報、知恥悔罪，或將功贖罪之念，就不應再挾持民進黨，就應饒了民進黨，就應 主動退黨，就應還給民進黨一個清償前債、脫胎換骨的生機。

只要陳水扁能主動退黨，民進黨的內外情勢必可立即豁然開朗。陳水扁一人退黨，即能為民進黨的改革再造提供前提與基礎；這難道是陳水扁所不應為？難道陳水扁真是不可全黨負我一人，寧可我一人負盡全黨，又寧可我一人毀盡全黨？

民進黨內的「趙天麟們」應當同聲疾呼：這是民進黨改革關鍵時刻，請陳水扁退黨救黨！邱義仁能，難道陳水扁不能？