Looking at Su Jia-chyuan, Reminded of Chen Shui-bian

Looking at Su Jia-chyuan, Reminded of Chen Shui-bian
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
October 6, 2011

Summary: Su Jia-chyuan has turned into a replica of Chen Shui-bian. Unapologetically corrupt. Stubbornly unwilling to admit wrongdoing, Offering nonsensical arguments in his defense. Leaving the public appalled and disgusted. Chen Shui-bian has stepped down as president. Su Jia-chyuan, on the other hand, newly minted icon of "black gold," aspires to the office of vice president. Where is the justice in this outrage?

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Su Jia-chyuan has turned into a replica of Chen Shui-bian. Unapologetically corrupt. Stubbornly unwilling to admit wrongdoing, Offering nonsensical arguments in his defense. Leaving the public appalled and disgusted. Chen Shui-bian has stepped down as president. Su Jia-chyuan, on the other hand, newly minted icon of "black gold," aspires to the office of vice president. Where is the justice in this outrage?

Suppose Su Jia-chyuan is elected vice president. He will brazenly "preside" from his luxury mansion "farmhouse" in Pingtung. Secret Service agents will be at his beck and call. Security will be tight as a drum. His "farmhouse" mansion will become a symbol of authoritarian political domination. If this comes to pass, what will become of the rule of law? What will become of clean government? What will become of all that talk about character and ethics? What will become of all that talk about "agricultural land for agricultural use?" What will become of agricultural policy? What will become of land justice? What will become of the vice president as an exemplar of justice?

Su Jia-chyuan has a better way to deal with his luxury mansion "farmhouse" problem. Su Jia-chyuan's ancestral graves are built on state-owned grazing land. According to the law, one may not build gravesites on grazing land in the first place. Su's lawlessness has resulted in a scandal in which "the dead rent land." Su Jia-chyuan has said he will move the graves to another location. Su may move the graves, or he may not. At least he has acknowledged the facts of the case. Su Jia-chyuan's older brother paved over agricultural land with concrete, turning it into a night market. For the past 20 years, he misused agricultural land and agricultural electricity. For the past 20 years, he charged vendors "electric light fees" for their stalls. When the matter came to light, Su Jia-chyuan admitted it left a bad impression on the public. As a result he suspended operations a week later. This is accountability -- of a sort. So why is Su Jia-chyuan obstinately refusing to admit wrongdoing regarding his luxury mansion "farmhouse?" Why is he digging in his heels and holding out to the bitter end?

Su Jia-chyuan could simply deal with the matter the way he dealt with the ancestral graves and night market scandals. He could "lop off the arm that has been bitten by a snake." He could resolutely declare that since my luxury mansion "farmhouse" has aroused such intense controversy, I am renouncing it as my home, and restoring the agricultural land to its original use. On the one hand, he would be offering an apology to the public. On the other hand, he would be putting the past behind him and starting anew. Why did he do this with the ancestral graves and the night market, but not with his luxury mansion "farmhouse?"

The Su Jia-chyuan family has a problem. Its members are too clever for their own good. They have built family plots on public grazing land. Su Jia-chyuan's luxury farmhouse was built in the name of his wife, who is not a farmer. This makes it even more illegal, even more controversial. His wife's older sister has also built a luxury mansion "farmhouse" in the same neighborhood. His older brother built a night market on agricultural land. This was particularly outrageous. Su's family members installed a phony handicapped plate on their Mercedes Benz. His wife Hung Heng-chu's inordinately swift rise within the civil service system has also raised eyebrows. Su Jia-chyuan is now the DPP's vice presidential candidate. Is this to be his resume? Is this what the DPP wants as its image? If elected, can someone of his ilk really be allowed to assume the vice presidency of the Republic of China? Can he really uphold its national image?

Su Jia-chyuan is mired in the same muck as Chen Shui-bian. Yet the DPP insists on backing him all the way. The DPP is mired in the same muck with Su today, that it was with Chen yesterday. Consider the matter of legality. The luxury mansion "farmhouse" may occupy one-tenth of the total agricultural land, or it may not. But according to the law, roads landscaping, surrounding walls, and other "ancillary facilities" must be included when calculating the area of a farmhouse. Also, a farmhouse must meet the legal definitions for "agricultural use" and "agricultural operations." Can one simply plant a few fruit trees, create an ornamental flower garden, and pass it off as "agricultural land for agricultural use?" Su Jia-chyuan refuses to admit the truth. He has the temerity to argue that "The Pingtung County Government said no laws were broken." In fact, the Pingtung County Government has been reduced to the level of Ma Yung-cheng. In fact, the Pingtung County Government's "investigation report" is identical to Chen Shui-bian's "inventory of rewards." Can such sophistries really silence the whispers? Consider the ancestral plots issue. Instead of admitting that they were illegal, Su argues that "A Mainlander political authority wants to dig the graves of the Taiwanese people!" Consider the mansion issue. Instead of admitting that its construction was illegal, Su claims it cost "only" a few million dollars. He demands to know why a farmhouse cannot be beautiful. Why must it be dilapidated? Chen Shui-bian accused Ma Ying-jeou of "joining hands with the Chinese Communists to attack the Taiwanese people's president!" Su's subterfuge is identical to Chen's. Su's subterfuge is identical to Chen's "nation-building fund." What is today's Su Jia-chyuan, but a perfect replica of yesterday's Chen Shui-bian? What is today's DPP, which backs Su Jia-chyuan unquestioningly, but a perfect replica of yesterday's DPP, which did the same for Chen Shui-bian?

Chen Shui-bian is the DPP's older generation. Su Jia-chyuan is the DPP's newer generation. President Chen Shui-bian is a former president. Su Jia-chyuan is a potential vice president. Emotionally, logically, and legally, the public wants answers. It wants to know whether this person, who is synonymous with black gold, can be allowed to become vice president. It wants answers from the DPP. It wants to know whether the DPP is truly willing to be represented by someone with such a black gold image. The public must also ask itself certain questions. If Su Jia-chyuan, with his black gold luxury mansion "farmhouse" is elected vice president, will there still be any justice to speak of? Will there still be any integrity to speak of?

Chen Shui-bian's most grievous sin, was refusing to admit wrongdoing. He chose instead to stonewall. Today, Su Jia-chyuan's most grievous sin, is also refusing to admit wrongdoing. He too is choosing to stonewall. The DPP wants the public to back Su Jia-chyuan. They want the public to swallow that black gold luxury mansion "farmhouse" in silence. They want the public to allow Secret Service agents to surround it and protect it. If this is Su Jia-chyuan's understanding of conscience, if this is DPP's understanding of justice, if this is Tsai Ing-wen's understanding of integrity, then by all means, they should stonewall to the bitter end. The DPP was willing to back Chen Shui-bian to the bitter end. What's Su Jia-chyuan's paltry little luxury mansion "farmhouse" by comparison?

看見蘇嘉全 想到陳水扁
【聯合報╱社論】
2011.10.06 03:03 am

蘇嘉全儼然成為陳水扁的複製版。貪腐無狀，死不認錯，胡言亂拗，令人震愕。但陳水扁畢竟是一個下台的總統，蘇嘉全卻竟然像是想以如此這般的黑金面貌上台出任副總統。公理何在，豈有此理？

假設，蘇嘉全當選了副總統，他大剌剌地回到屏東那棟豪華農舍「駐蹕」，國安隨扈前呼後擁，禁衛森嚴，那座豪華農舍將搖身一變成為國家統治威權的政治象徵；若到了這步田地，還談什麼法治？還談什麼清廉？談什麼風骨操守？談什麼農地農用？談什麼農業政策？談什麼土地正義？談什麼副元首亦應當是國家正義的表率？

蘇嘉全其實有更好及更正確的方法處理豪華農舍的難題。例如，蘇家祖墳建在租用的國有農牧地上，依法農牧地根本不准建墳，且本案又出現「死人租地」的醜聞，但至少蘇嘉全自稱將遷移，則姑不論最後遷或不遷，總算是對社會有了交代；再如，蘇嘉全之兄長，將農地全部水泥化後闢為夜市，二十年來並以農業用電向攤商收取「電燈費」，此事曝光後蘇嘉全亦知社會觀感不佳，使其在一周後立即停市，也算是對社會作出了交代。然而，為何蘇嘉全獨對豪華農舍死不認錯，偏偏要死賴硬拗到底？

其實，蘇嘉全大可如處理祖墳及夜市一般，蝮蛇螫手，壯士斷腕，毅然決然地宣告：茲因豪華農舍引起社會強烈爭議，即起宣布放棄將該豪宅作為居所，並擇期恢復其為農地之應有用途；一方面向社會道歉，一方面表現今是昨非的光明磊落胸襟。但是，為何祖墳能、夜市能，唯獨豪華農舍不能？

蘇嘉全家族的風格話題，花樣百出。祖墳蓋在國有農牧用地上，蘇嘉全的豪華農舍則是由其不具農民身分的妻子起造，更有違法超限爭議，其妻之姐的豪華農舍亦在近鄰，其兄的農地夜市尤是駭人聽聞，再加上家族用賓士車居然掛的是殘障牌照，其妻洪恆珠的公職升遷過程亦引人側目……。蘇嘉全如今是民進黨提名的副總統參選人，他的這一張「履歷表」，難道即是代表民進黨的品牌形象？而未來若當選，這種德性又豈能承當中華民國副總統的國家形象？

蘇嘉全已完全陷入昔日陳水扁的情境；而整個民進黨挺蘇嘉全，亦已完全陷入當年挺陳水扁的情境。先談合不合法，不論豪華農舍本體是否佔農地十分之一，但依法應將道路、山水造景、圍牆等「附屬設施」亦應併計入農舍面積，且依法農舍必須配合「農業使用」及「農業經營」，則種幾棵果樹難道就能將豪華庭園說成「農地農用」？蘇嘉全未能誠實面對這些真相，竟然以「屏東縣政府說未違法」來自我辯護，其實這是否屏東縣政府自甘淪落為蘇嘉全的「馬永成」？而屏東縣政府的「勘查報告」是否亦形同陳水扁的「犒賞清冊」？如此狡賴，如何杜天下悠悠之口。再者，談祖墳，不說違法，卻說「外省政權要挖台灣人的墳墓」；論豪宅，亦不說違法，竟說造價「只有」幾百萬，又謂難道農舍不能蓋得漂漂亮亮，一定要破破爛爛？這些遁詞，皆與陳水扁「馬英九與中共一起打擊台灣人總統」如出一轍，亦如將贓款狡辯成「建國基金」一般；現在的蘇嘉全，豈不完全已是陳水扁的複製版？而此時挺蘇嘉全的民進黨，豈不亦如過去挺扁的老戲新演？

陳水扁是老一代的民進黨，蘇嘉全則是新一代；陳水扁是一個下台總統，蘇嘉全則是一個想要上台的副總統參選人。論情、論理、論法，國人要問蘇嘉全：以這樣的黑金面貌，能心安理得地出任副總統嗎？亦要問民進黨：這樣的黑金面貌可以代表民進黨的品格與形象嗎？國人更要自問：蘇嘉全如果帶著這座黑金象徵的豪華農舍出任副總統，國家尚有何公理可言？政風尚有何希望可言？

陳水扁之錯，最大錯在不認錯，還要硬拗；如今蘇嘉全之錯，最大錯亦在不認錯，還要硬拗。民進黨要國人挺蘇嘉全，就是要國人吞下那座黑金豪華農舍，以後並要國安隨扈去環繞護衛。如果這就是蘇嘉全的良知，如果這就是民進黨的公義，如果這就是蔡英文的風格；那就繼續死賴硬拗下去吧，民進黨連陳水扁都能挺到底，何況只是一座豪華農舍加蘇嘉全？