The DPP Owes the People an Explanation

The DPP Owes the People an Explanation
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
November 17, 2010

Chen Shui-bian is about to be sent to prison. The Democratic Progressive Party owes the public an explanation for the eight years of chaos it inflicted upon the nation. Only by publicly acknowledging the legal sentences handed down by the justice system on Chen Shui-bian, and clarifying the party's position, can the DPP shrug the monkey off its back and move forward unencumbered.

Doing so is not that difficult. But the DPP not miss another opportunity. Third instance rulings have been handed down in the Longtan Land Acquisition and sale of official positions scandals. Hoping to avoid any negative impact on its election prospects, the DPP has studiously avoided commenting on the matter. One would think Ah-Bian had nothing to do with the DPP. Deep Green elements are shrilly protesting, alleging that the ruling was unjust. Chen Shui-bian has compared himself to Nelson Mandela. He even said that the "KMT and CCP have joined hands" in order to see him dead. Does the DPP intend to continue hiding behind Deep Green hardliners? Does it intend to remain a political party indifferent to right and wrong, and afraid to own up to its mistakes?

For the sake of political accountability, the DPP should apologize to the people. The people have been waiting for one almost six years. Six years ago, Chen Shui-bian perpetrated the 3/19 Shooting Hoax. This was followed by one Chen family corruption scandal after another, after which the Red Shirt Army took to the streets. This presented the DPP with an opportunity to act decisively. Who knew the party would allow itself to be bought off by Ah-Bian? It did everything in its power to shield him and cover for him. It crushed reformists within the party. Two years ago Chen Shui-bian stepped down. One corruption scandal after another entered the judicial system hopper. This presented the DPP with yet another opportunity to draw a line between itself and Ah-Bian. Instead, it allowed the problem to drag on. The party argued that it wanted to wait for confirmation of guilt before passing moral judgment. But third instance rulings have already been rendered in two of the cases. What exactly is the DPP waiting for?

The DPP can not evade the issue, which should be considered on several levels. First, consider political responsibility. Ah-Bian ruled for eight years. Virtually every member of the Democratic Progressive Party elite became part of the ruling nomenklatura. Chen Shui-bian got away with rampant corruption, decadence, and lawlessness, only because of the aid he received from the entire administration. Even if members of the DPP elite were not directly involved in criminal activity, they cannot shirk political responsibility. They made it possible for Ah-Bian to engage in the rampant looting of state assets. This responsibility is not about to vanish into thin air merely because Ah-Bian is behind bars.

Secondly, consider moral responsibility. Chen Shui-bian's corruption has led directly to the distortion and destruction of society's moral values. These need correcting and clarifying. If the DPP insists that Chen Shui-bian is innocent, and has suffered the same injustice as Nelson Mandela, it should publicly state how the justice system was unfair. It should even urge people to take to the streets to protest. But if it thinks Chen Shui-bian is guilty, and that his conduct should not be encouraged, then it should concede this point to the public and Deep Green supporters. It should liberate Taiwan from Ah-Bian's negative influence, and restore Taiwan's moral compass.

Third, consider responsibility to the nation. The Democratic Progressive Party has long exploited Blue vs. Green confrontation to its advantage. It has repeatedly cast doubt on the legitimacy of the government. This has led to a loss of confidence in public authority, and led the people toward nihilism. The Chen corruption trial rendered a judgment on the nation's highest leader. This was the justice system's last line of defense. Moreover, Chen Shui-bian was prosecuted by the Special Investigation Unit he himself established. That makes it even more remarkable. It is bad enough that the DPP failed to prevent Ah-Bian from engaging in corruption. What's worse is how even today it refuses to support our nation's justice system. It insists on repudiating its legitimacy by means of political demagoguery. The public will find it easy to see which political party lacks sincerity.

Chen Shui-bian, by going from "political golden boy" to "the first head of state to enter prison," has nullified the Democratic Progressive Party's "progressive" credentials. He has turned Taiwan's democracy into a joke. The degree to which the public has suffered is incalculable. The DPP should not assume that such wounds will heal automatically. It should not assume that its responsibilities will disappear with Chen Shui-bian's imprisonment. The DPP is busy trumpeting the "good government" card. But the Chen corruption case is raising such a stink, who is going to buy into the DPP's promises of "good government?"

A political party that cannot face up to its own mistakes, cannot help revealing its cowardly, deceitful, and insincere nature. In fact, the DPP must do far more than merely distance itself from Ah-Bian. It must solemnly apologize to the public for eight years of brutal, corrupt, and myopic rule. In fact, isn't this something the justice system has overlooked as it prosecutes the guilty?

Over the past twenty years, the DPP has stridently demanded apologies from the KMT for an endless list of offenses. Ma Ying-jeou bears no responsibility whatsoever for the 2/28 Incident. But no matter how many times he has apologized for it, the Green Camp is never satisfied. By contrast, the DPP eagerly aided and abetted Chen Shui-bian's corruption. Yet no one has heard it offer a single apology over the past several years. A legal judgment is the least a nation has the right to expect. The people also need to hear the DPP express remorse and offer them an apology. The DPP owes the public an explanation.

民進黨欠人民一個說法
【聯合報╱社論】 2010.11.17

在陳水扁即將發監之際，民進黨須就其執政八年的錯亂給公眾一個交代；唯有公開承認司法對陳水扁的判決，說明黨的立場，民進黨才有機會真正卸下阿扁這個包袱，自由地往前走。

這並非強人所難，而是提醒民進黨不要一再錯失機會。龍潭和買官案三審宣判後，民進黨為避免影響選情，一致迴避評論此事，彷彿阿扁與該黨毫無關係。深綠陣營則激烈指控判決不公，陳水扁更自比為曼德拉，甚至說「國共聯手」要置其於死地。民進黨要繼續躲在深綠的鐵殼後面，當一個不問是非、不敢認錯的政黨嗎？

基於政治責任，民進黨應當向人民道歉，人民已經等了足足六年。六年多前，三一九槍擊案爆發，接著扁家弊案逐一揭露，紅衫軍湧上街頭，民進黨原本有很好的機會果斷面對；不料該黨卻懾於扁的淫威，不僅全力簇擁他、包庇他，更反過來壓制黨內改革派。兩年多前陳水扁下台，弊案陸續進入司法程序，民進黨亦有機會與扁「切割」，卻把問題一拖再拖。當時黨內的說法都是：要等司法確認有罪，再來論斷是非。那麼，如今已有兩案三審定讞，民進黨還在等待什麼？

民進黨無法迴避這個問題，可從幾個層次討論。第一，就責任政治而言，扁執政八年，民進黨菁英幾乎都是其團隊的核心及周邊成員；陳水扁能跨越體制做出那麼多貪瀆、敗德、踰法之事，是仗著整個團隊的縱容、疏失與掩護才能得逞。從這個角度看，民進黨菁英縱未參與犯罪，也負有無法推卸的政治責任。導致扁盜用國家機器橫行至此，這個責任，不會因扁入獄，即從民進黨肩上消失。

第二，就道德層次而言，陳水扁的貪贓枉法，對於社會價值造成的扭曲和破毀，有必要導正與釐清。如果民進黨堅持陳水扁無罪，認為他是像曼德拉一樣遭受了莫名的冤屈，那就請公開指出司法有何不公，甚至可呼喚民眾上街聲討。如果認為陳水扁罪有應得，他的作法不值得鼓勵，就應向社會大眾、向深綠支持者坦承這點，讓台灣社會的道德指針能夠擺脫扁案的邪惡引力，回歸正常。

第三，就國家層次而言，民進黨長期利用藍綠對峙，一再質疑各種國家機器的正當性，導致公權力的信用不斷受到摧折，使人民陷入虛無。扁案的審理，對國家最高領導人的貪瀆違法予以判決，是司法守住了最後一道正義防線；而且，由陳水扁親手成立的特偵組將他起訴，意義更是非凡。民進黨當年無法節制阿扁貪瀆也就罷了，如果今天仍不能表態支持司法作為，還要用政治操弄來否定其價值，則民眾也就不難看出，這個政黨對台灣其實沒有多少真誠的認同和珍惜。

從一個「政治金童」變成首位「入獄元首」，陳水扁不僅耗光了民進黨所有的「進步」價值，更簡直把台灣的民主改革變成一場笑話。這場災難，台灣人民承受的痛苦是難以想像的，民進黨不要以為這個創傷會自動癒合，更不要以為自己的責任會隨著阿扁入獄自動消失。民進黨正在猛打「治理牌」，但隨便一個扁案攤開來都是臭不可聞，「治理牌」能說服誰？

一個不能面對自己過失的政黨，終歸難掩其懦弱、欺罔、不誠懇的本質。事實上，民進黨目前要做的，已不止是和阿扁「切割」，而是要對自己執政八年的粗暴、貪腐、護短作出深刻反省，並向人民鄭重致歉。這點，其實不也是司法對他們略過的審判？

廿多年來，民進黨要求國民黨道歉的事難盡枚舉。試想，不管馬英九為遙遠的二二八事件道歉了多少次，綠營都無法滿意；相形之下，民進黨扮演阿扁貪腐禍國的馬前卒，幾年來卻囁嚅不發一語。司法判決只是國家體制的必然程序，但國人更想聽到民進黨的悔悟與道歉。民進黨欠人民一個說法。