Blindness to One's Own Moral Defects is the Most Dangerous Blindness of All

Blindness to One's Own Moral Defects is the Most Dangerous Blindness of All
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
December 15, 2011

Summary: We lack awareness about many things in life. But politicians, especially those aspiring to high office, must be aware of them. DPP chairman and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen's life has undergone many changes in recent years. As vice premier, she never imagined Su Tseng-chang resigning as DPP Chairman after losing the 2008 presidential primary. She never imagined herself taking his place as chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party. Upon resigning as vice premier, she never imagined herself entering the biotech industry. As the chairman of a biotech company, she never imagined herself becoming chairman of the DPP. Before the five cities mayoral elections she never imagined becoming the Democratic Progressive Party's 2012 presidential candidate. But is all this enough to excuse her glaring conflicts of interest?

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We lack awareness about many things in life. But politicians, especially those aspiring to high office, must be aware of them. DPP chairman and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen's life has undergone many changes in recent years. As vice premier, she never imagined Su Tseng-chang resigning as DPP Chairman after losing the 2008 presidential primary. She never imagined herself taking his place as chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party. Upon resigning as vice premier, she never imagined herself entering the biotech industry. As the chairman of a biotech company, she never imagined herself becoming chairman of the DPP. Before the five cities mayoral elections she never imagined becoming the Democratic Progressive Party's 2012 presidential candidate. But is all this enough to excuse her glaring conflicts of interest?

The Chen administration aggressively promoted the Chang Yu Technology Company toward the end of its reign. The goal of the project was laudible. After all, Taiwan's high-tech industry owed its success largely to a single bright spot -- semiconductors. According to a declassified document posted by WikiLeaks.Taiwan, in 2007 Tsai Ing-wen told the AIT that after she stepped down as vice premier she planned to aggressively promote biotechnology, She smugly claimed that she was the author of the Biotech Drug Industry Regulations which had just passed a third reading in the Legislative Yuan under Wang Jin-pyng.

Industrial development on Taiwan is indeed dependent upon government support. Sun Yun-suan and Li Kuo-ting did indeed ask Morris Chang to head TSMC, and to give UMC a helping hand. But neither assumed the role of chairman. Neither owned even a single share of stock. Chao Yao-tung promoted the steel industry and later served as chairman of the board of China Steel. But he too never owned a single share of company stock. .

By contrast, Tsai Ing-wen has invited prosecution by her involvement in the biotech industry. She followed up by obtaining capital from the National Development Fund. She wsa closely involved from beginning to end. At times she was even in charge. Perhaps she never imagined that one day she would be running for president. She should never have invested her family's money in a government project. That amounts to a fundamental conflict of interest she should have avoided.

Tsai Ing-wen failed to avoid this conflict of interests. Worse, on March 18, 2008, three days before the presidential election, she arranged the transfer of one billion dollars from the National Development Fund to her family's TaiMao biotechnology venture capital firm. The Council for Economic Development and Planning eventually approved a transfer of 875 million NTD. The sum far exceeded the 20 million USD (approximately 600 million NTD) that the National Development Fund earmarked for the Yu Chang Technology Company. Alas, the sum was too large, and the timing too sensitive. As a result the civil servants in charge were reluctant to recklessly transfer the funds. Tsai Ing-wen ought to be grateful to these civil servants, Otherwise, she would be mired in an even more controversy today.

CEPD Chairman Ho Mei-yueh characterized the Tsai family investment as "angel capital." The sum was small, merely 20 million NTD. But investors in the Chang Yu Technology Company included large corporations such as Uni-President and Yuen Foong Yu. It is not hard to find a couple of companies at random wiling to invest 10 million NTD. So why go running to the Tsai family? When Tsai Ing-wen was elected DPP Chairman in 2009, all shares were distributed. Twenty million NTD invested for less than one year returned over 19 million NTD, a staggering profit. By contrast the government lost 4.5 billion NTD on the Chang Yu Technology Company. What can one say, except that Tsai Ing-wen seems to have a lock on both the government and the business world. She could even get the Ruentex Industries to acquire her shares, getting her out of trouble and enabling her to profit from the deal.

The extreme complexity of the Yu Chang Technology Company scandal left the current chairman of the Council for Economic Planning Christina Liu confused. For example, there are two TaiMao companies. The first, TaiMao Protein, changed its name to the Yu Chang Technology Company. Tsai Ing-wen's family also set up another company, named TaiMao Biotechnology. The two companies have the same personnel. Both are funded by the National Development Fund. The first sum transferred to the Yu Chang Technology Company was 20 million NTD. Later this was increased to 50 million NTD, then 100 million NTD. How much did the government eventually provide? Even Christina Liu has not had enough time to investigate thoroughly. The Yu Chang Technology Company and TaiMao were able to obtain funding, again and again. Again, what can one say, except that Tsai Ing-wen appears to have a lock on both the government and the business world. She could compelt the National Development Fund to approve funding. No wonder biotech tycoons all want Tsai Ing-wen as their chairman.

The Chen adminstration had two large investment projects toward the end of its regime. The first was the Taiwan Goals company, established when Chiou I-jen was vice premier. It was supposed to turn arms procurement over to the private sector. On Chiu I-jen's recommendation DPP elders took charge. Wu Nai-jen, chairman of the Stock Exchange was appointed Taiwan Goals chairman of the board. The story behind the scandal is incredible. The public has reacted violently and demanded its cancellation. Chang Ho Yu and Chi-Huey Wong fully endorsed and supported the Yu Chang Technology Company. It may be impossible to successfully prosecute this case. But it proves that the Chen administration behaved with unforgivable recklessness before and after the transfer of power.

The government wants to nurture a fledgling industry. No one objects. But the Ma administration is also vigorously promoting the biotechnology industry. Would any political appointee in the Ma administration dare invest family money in a newly established biotech company? Would they dare appropriate hundreds of millions of dollars from the National Development Fund? Would they dare have themselves appointed chairman of the board? Clean government is not a slogan to be parroted at election rallies. It requires conviction. Tsai Ing-wen complains she is the victim of political mud-slinging. This demonstrates that when it comes to political ethics and social perception, she is tone deaf. She blasts the 18% preferential interest rate for civil servants, even as she continues applying for it and depositing it in her personal account. Blindness to one's own weaknesses and moral defects, is the most dangerous blindess of all.

看不到自己的道德瑕疵，才最危險
2011-12-15中國時報

人生很多事情想不到，但從政的人、尤其是競逐大位的人，太多事不能想不到。民進黨主席、總統候選人蔡英文的人生之途在這幾年轉折太快，擔任副院長時，她沒想到她的院長蘇貞昌會在民進黨二○○八年總統初選落敗後請辭；卸任副院長前，她沒想到自己可能轉行到生技業；出任生技公司董事長之後，她又沒想到會出任民進黨主席；當然，至少在五都選舉前，她可能還是沒想到自己會代表民進黨競選二○一二年總統大位。但是，這能成為擺平一切爭議的理由嗎？

宇昌案是扁政府末期全力推動的大案，當時的立意不可謂不佳，畢竟台灣高科技業靠著半導體成為亮點，台灣需要新的產業亮點。根據《維基解密．台灣》解密電文，蔡英文早在二○○七年七月就告訴ＡＩＴ，卸任後她要全力推動新的生技產業，她沾沾自喜地表揚自己，由立法院長王金平領銜提案並完成三讀的《生技新藥產業發展條例》是她撰寫的。

台灣產業發展很大部分確實是靠政府鼎力支持，就像當年孫運璿、李國鼎請回張忠謀主持台積電，又扶植聯電一樣；但是，他們沒有自任董事長，甚至一張股票都沒有；即使像趙耀東推動中鋼，爾後並出任董事長，趙同樣一張中鋼股票都沒有。

對比之下，蔡英文從生技產業相關法律案，到接下來的國發基金投資案，一路密切參與，甚至主導，即使她未預期自己可能參選總統，在政治道德上也不該將自己家族的資金引入這個政府投資案，這是基本的利益迴避。

蔡英文不但不迴避，甚至在二○○八年三月十八日總統大選前三天，竟由家族向國發基金申請撥給由她家族資金成立的台懋生技創投公司十億資金，最後經建會核准的金額是八億七千五百萬元；這個金額甚至遠超過國發基金核撥給宇昌的二千萬美元（約六億台幣）。由於金額太大，時機敏感，承辦公務員不敢貿然撥款，蔡英文應該感謝這群謹慎行事的公務員，否則她今日的爭議必然不僅於此。

時任經建會主委的何美玥為蔡解釋說，蔡氏家族投入的是「天使資金」，數目不大只有二千萬台幣；但是，當年宇昌案投資者還包括統一、永豐餘在內的大企業，隨便找兩家企業各多出資一千萬，一點都不難，何須蔡氏家族挹注？蔡英文在當選民進黨主席後，於二○○九年處分掉全部股份，兩千萬投資一年不到就賺進一千九百多萬，獲利率驚人。對比宇昌案政府還虧了四．五億，只能說蔡英文果然政商都夠力，還能找到潤泰企業收購她的股份，讓她解套並獲利了結。

宇昌案的複雜，讓現任經建會主委劉憶如都一頭霧水，比方說，台懋有兩家，一家台懋蛋白公司後來更名為宇昌；蔡英文家族又成立一家台懋生技，兩家公司一套人馬，都向國發基金申請資金。第一筆撥了二千萬美元給宇昌，後來又提高到五千萬美元、一億美元，到底政府最後投入多少錢？連劉憶如都尚未徹查清楚。宇昌、台懋能重複申請資金，還是只能說蔡英文果然政商都夠力，讓國發基金逢蔡必核准撥款，難怪生技大老們個個都要蔡英文出任董事長。

扁政府末期有兩件大投資案，一件是邱義仁擔任副院長時主導成立的鐽震公司，要把軍火採購移轉為民間公司處理，甚至在邱義仁推荐下內定由民進黨新潮流大老，時任證交所董事長的吳乃仁出任董事長，此案過度匪夷所思，遭到輿論強烈質疑而撤銷。宇昌案因有何大一、翁啟惠等人的背書支持而一路通關。但是，不論成案與否，都反映扁政府在政權移交前後的看守期間，膽大妄為到了讓人無法忍受的地步。

政府重點扶植政策性產業，沒有人反對，但試想同樣全力推動生技產業的馬政府，有哪一位政務官敢在大選前後引進家族資金成立新公司，並向國發基金申請核撥數億資金，還自任董事長？清廉不是選舉造勢場上的口號，必須深入骨髓成為信仰，蔡英文忿忿不平認為遭到惡意抹黑，反映她對政治道德和社會觀感的無知無覺，就像她罵十八％又領十八％一樣，看不到自己的弱點和道德瑕疵，才是最危險的地方。