The Southern Front and the Taiwan Independence Treasury

The Southern Front and the Taiwan Independence Treasury
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
August 27, 2008

Chen Shui-bian said that when he applied for State Affairs Fund reimbursements, he submitted personal invoices. He said he did so for the sake of the "Southern Front Project." At the time the DPP maintained that "A Bian is innocent." But A Bian's latest explanation is even more outrageous. Chen Shui-bian and his amen corner are telling us that the vast sums transferred to the Chen family's overseas accounts amount to a "Taiwan independence treasury," and that freezing these accounts is an attempt to throttle the Taiwan independence movement.

Chen Shui-bian and the Green Camp face a money-laundering scandal. They are responding to the crisis in two ways: One. They are attempting to diminish their feelings of guilt. Two. They are attempting to create moral justifications.

One. The Chen family has referred to the funds in a number of different ways. Wu Shu-chen says it is all "Chen family money." Chen Chih-chung says they are wedding gifts. Huang Jui-ching says the money belongs to her father, Huang Bai-lu. Today however, everyone says the money is "leftover campaign funds." The current spin takes into account a number of legal considerations. But its primary political appeal is that it conceptually launders "Chen family money" and converts it into what the Green Camp can begin to think of as "our money."

Chen Hsing-yu threw a public tantrum, saying Taiwan independence needs money, election campaigns need money. What she meant was that the money was not dirty. It has a sacred purpose. The money already spent may or may not have been spent legitimately. But how is the Chen familly going to explain away the money transferred overseas? According to Chen Shui-bian, "The money was transferred out of the country by Wu Shu-chen. I knew nothing about it." But he added "I know Wu Shu-chen did not transfer the funds out of the country for the Chen family. It was to be used for international diplomacy on behalf of Taiwan, after I left office."

First Chen said "I knew nothing about it." Then he said "I know the money was to be used for international diplomacy on behalf of Taiwan." Taiwan independence leaders are not calling Chen Shui-bian on his self-contradictory lies. Astonishingly enough, they have hitched a ride on them, and developed their previously mentioned "Taiwan independence treasury" thesis. The Chen family has also taken advantage of the situation to convert "Chen family money" into "our money." In this deluded, self-induced hypnotic state, Chen Shui-bian and Deep Green leaders' feelings of guilt have rapidly diminished. Their feelings of moral rectitude have been rapidly enhanced. If Chen Shui-bian takes the next step and donates the funds to the Green Camp, the Green Camp will find it even easier to defend their "Taiwan independence treasury."

Two. The DPP Central Standing Committee has set the tone. Chen's prosecution for corruption is to be spun as "the Kuomintang and [mainland] China colluding to persecute Chen Shui-bian and the DPP." In other words, in order to oppose mainland China and the KMT, one must support A Bian. Chen Shui-bian has launched an all-out counteroffensive. He is no longer saying "I did something the law does not allow. I shamed Taiwan." Instead he rails against a "political vendetta," against a campaign to "exterminate his entire family," and against a "Cultural Revolution-style political struggle." Chen Shui-bian has totally sidelined Tsai Ing-wen and other "non-mainstream" elements within the DPP. Kao Chun-min of the Presbyterian Church has given Chen's "counteroffensive against a political vendetta" his seal of approval. One pastor said: "If we can forgive Chen Chin-hsing, why can't we forgive Chen Shui-bian?" He conveniently forgot that Chen Chin-hsing was tried by the nation's legal system, and donated his organs after his execution for kidnapping and multiple murders. Does Chen Shui-bian really want to be compared to Chen Chin-hsing?

Three. Chen Shui-bian has repeatedly pointed the finger at Lee Teng-hui. He said Lee transferred 70 million NT in public funds into the account of the Taiwan Comprehensive Research Institute, and one billion NT overseas. Chen is extending his battlelines. He is also attempting to undermine Lee Teng-hui's status as the standard-bearer for the Taiwan independence movement. A simple quid pro quo has been struck. Chen Shui-bian is supporting independence because he lusts after wealth. Taiwan independence leaders are supporting A Bian because they lust after Taiwan independence.

The leadership of the Taiwan independence movement and the DPP have actually decided to use the "Southern Front Project" and "Taiwan independence treasury" lies to deceive themselves and others. By unconditionally supporting Chen Shui-bian, they have exposed the moral bankruptcy of the Taiwan independence movement and the DPP.

The Taiwan independence movement has reached the stage where its concepts, its conduct, its image have all been discredited. In fact, Chen Shui-bian bears the greatest responsibility for the movement's decline. Yet Taiwan independence leaders continue to support A Bian. They refer to a non-existent "Taiwan independence treasury." They maintain that "Chen Shui-bian knew nothing." They maintain that "Wu Shu-chen did it all on her own." They are attempting to diminish their collective feeling of guilt. They are attempting to enhance their collective feeling of moral rectitude. What is this, if not the setting of the sun? What is this, if not the end of the road?

The DPP's tone, meanwhile, is not being set by Tsai Ing-wen, but by Kao Chun-ming. The DPP has again been hijacked by Chen Shui-bian and the Taiwan independence movement. Tsai Ing-wen has been undermined and marginalized. The DPP has become Chen Shui-bian's lackey, despite the fact that Chen Shui-bian is no longer a party member. DPP leaders are using the pretext that the "KMT is colluding with [mainland] China to persecute Chen," and that "Taiwanese are being bullied" to justify supporting A Bian. They are attempting to diminish their collective feeling of guilt. They are attempting to enhance their collective feeling of moral rectitude. What is this, if not self-deception?

In fact, ever since the January legislative elections and the March presidential election, the consensus is that Chen Shui-bian's brand of Taiwan independence is the least appealing form of Taiwan independence. The consensus is that the DPP which has been hijacked by Chen Shui-bian is the least sympathetic form of the Democratic Progressive Party. For the past several months, the public has assumed that the Taiwan independence movement and the Democratic Progressive Party would distance themselves from Chen Shui-bian and undergo a metamorphisis. No one expected them to permit Chen Shui-bian to hijack them again.

When the money-laundering scandal first erupted, Taiwan independence elder Huang Chao-tang said "We hope Chen Shui-bian vanishes from the face of the earth forever!" But Chen Shui-bian has not vanished. He now looms above Huang Chao-tang, awaiting his apology.

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從「南線專案」到「台獨金庫」！
【聯合報╱社論】
2008.08.27 06:42 am

陳水扁說，他用私人發票報銷國務費，是為了運作「南線專案」；當時，民進黨說：「相信阿扁的清白。」如今則更加離譜，陳水扁及其支持者，似在設法將陳家匯到國外的巨款定義為「台獨金庫」，「查封」金庫就是要斬斷台獨的生機。

陳水扁及綠營面對洗錢風暴，其危機處理的主軸有二：一、降低犯罪感；二、虛構道德性。篇幅所限，試舉三例：

一、陳家原本對錢的性質有多種說法，吳淑珍歸納為「都是陳家的錢」，陳致中稱是結婚禮金，黃睿靚說是爸爸黃百祿的錢；但這些說法如今全部串供成「選舉剩餘款」。此一說詞，當然有諸多訴訟伎倆方面的考慮，但其主要政治訴求，就是要將「陳家的錢」，在綠營的觀念上，變成「大家的錢」。

陳幸妤發飆說，台獨要用錢，選舉也要用錢；她的意思是說，這不是髒錢，而是有神聖的用途；然而，用掉的錢也許有正當性，但匯出的錢又該如何解釋？根據陳水扁的說法，「錢都是吳淑珍匯出去的，我一概不知」；但是，他又說：「我知道吳淑珍把錢匯出不是要給陳家用，而是為了我卸任後用於台灣的國際外交工作。」

於是，獨派遂不問陳水扁「匯出一概不知」與「我知錢要用於台灣外交」的自毀性謊言，竟然順勢發展出前述「台獨金庫」的理論；而陳家的說詞，也順勢從「陳家的錢」改口變成「大家的錢」。在這種自欺欺人的自我催眠狀態中，陳水扁及深綠陣營的犯罪感快速下降，道德感則迅速提升；陳水扁可望進一步承諾將那些錢奉獻給綠營，綠營則更能義正詞嚴地捍衛「台獨金庫」。

二、民進黨中常會已經定調，謂此次是「國民黨與中國聯手迫害陳水扁與民進黨」，換句話說，為了反中國與反國民黨，必須挺扁。陳水扁更已展開全面反撲，他不再說「我做了法律不許可的事，使台灣蒙羞」，而指控這是「政治追殺／抄家滅族／文革式的鬥爭」。至此，陳水扁已經完全踢開了蔡英文等民進黨的「非主流派」；他藉長老教會的高俊明來為這場「反追殺大反撲」背書。有位牧師說：「可以原諒陳進興，為何不可原諒陳水扁？」但是，陳進興在國家體制上接受了法律的審判，在個人良知上捐贈了器官，請問陳水扁與陳進興如何相比？

三、陳水扁幾度將矛頭指向李登輝，指李將七千萬元公帑轉給台綜院，又匯出十億元到國外。這一方面是想延伸戰線，另一方面又進一步摧毀李登輝回復為台獨旗手的可能性，則「陳水扁因貪挺獨／台獨因獨挺扁」的情勢，便可更單純化及鞏固化。

台獨及民進黨的領導階層，竟然用「南線專案」及「台獨金庫」這類謊言來自欺欺人，用以力挺陳水扁，充分暴露了台獨與民進黨的空虛與危機。

就台獨言。台獨走到今日「理念／操作／形象」俱毀的地步，陳水扁其實是最大罪人。台獨如今竟然用「台獨金庫」、「扁皆不知」、「全是吳淑珍一人所為」這類說詞來挺扁，來降低集體的「犯罪感」，及提升集體的「道德性」，倘非日暮途窮，何以致此？

就民進黨言。為民進黨定調者，不是蔡英文，而是高俊明。整個民進黨又被陳水扁及台獨挾持，蔡英文已經空洞化、邊緣化，民進黨成了「沒有陳水扁的陳水扁附庸」。民進黨以「國民黨與中國聯手迫害」、「台灣人被欺負」來做為挺扁的藉口，以降低集體的「犯罪感」，及提升集體的「道德性」，這難道不是自欺欺人？

其實，自一月立委選舉、三月總統大選迄今，主流民意皆認為「陳水扁操作的台獨」是最難苟同的「台獨」，「陳水扁挾持的民進黨」是最不可同情的「民進黨」。幾個月來，國人以為台獨與民進黨皆能擺脫陳水扁而脫胎換骨，豈料如今雙雙又被陳水扁挾持？

台獨大老黃昭堂在洗錢案爆發時曾說：「希望阿扁從這個世界上消失！」然而，陳水扁並未消失，如今他又站在黃昭堂仰視的制高點上，垂聽黃昭堂向他道歉。