Blue Camp Lin Yi-shi, Green Camp Li Ching-fu

Blue Camp Lin Yi-shi, Green Camp Li Ching-fu
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
July 19, 2012

Summary: Lin Yi-shi has been expelled from the KMT. The KMT has only itself to blame. But don't the DPP's own Anti-Black Gold Articles forbid Li Ching-fu from becoming a Central Standing Committee member? Lin was a Red Faction member. Li is a Black Faction member, This is the ugly truth about Blue Camp and Green Camp Black Gold corruption. Does Su Tseng-chang intend to do something about this ugly blemish? Or does he merely intend to slap a band-aid over it and cover up the problem?

Full Text below:

The DPP National Party Congress recently proclaimed that it was entering a new "Su Tseng-chang Era," one free from vote-buying. This was immediately followed by revelations that underworld figures plying the sex, gambling, and drug trades participated in the DPP's party elections. These underworld figures helped Li Ching-fu, who was sentenced to six years imprisonment for bribery, to become a member of the DPP Central Standing Committee. This scandal is the Green Camp counterpart to the Lin Yi-shi corruption scandal. It is also the first test of Su's leadership.

On the surface, this is merely a factional power struggle. But at a deeper level, it reveals the DPP's "Black Gold" character. The DPP is cultivating political support at the local level. But it is merely displacing the KMT. It is merely replacing the KMT's Black Gold criminal elements with its own DPP Black Gold criminal elements. This being the case, what is to become of Taiwan's democratization?

Hong Chi-kun risked his life to expose this scandal. Before that, the Chen Chu faction in Kaohsiung was engaged in both overt and covert infighting. Countless signs of corruption were already visible. Chen Chu originally planned to force Yu Cheng-hsien to withdraw his candidacy. Chiu Yi-ying fell ill and was forced to withdraw. Liu Shih-fang lost his election bid. The situation was highly unusual. The power behind the throne turned out to be underworld figures plying the sex, gambling, and drug trades. These underworld figures forced politicians to bow to the triads. This was a sad and frightening development.

Li Ching-fu was elected to the Central Standing Committee. This was highly controversial for two reasons. One. His election is illegal. According to the DPP's own "Anti-Black Gold Articles," those under prosecution for corruption are ineligible to run for office. When Li Ching-fu was Mayor of Qiaotou Village, he accepted bribes exceeding 8 million dollars from several vendors on small scale construction projects. He was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, reduced to 6 on appeal. The Anti-Black Gold Articles explicitly state that he is not qualified to be a candidate in the Standing Committee election. Yet he sailed through the process with no objections. He has become a member of the prestigious Central Standing Committee. This is a flagrant violation of the Anti-Black Gold Articles, and is totally illegal.

Two. His election is illegitimate. As Hong Chi-kun noted, on the eve of the DPP National Party Congress, local Kaohsiung triad heads actually accompanied other Chen Chu faction party representatives to Taipei. They appeared at election rallies to canvas votes. They attended banquets to consolidate voter support. , They may have been covertly engaged in intimidation. They may have been overtly engaged in deal-making. Either way, they undermined the legitimacy of the DPP election. This was a DPP power center election. It was held at the luxurious International Conference Hall. But behind the scenes it was a Dionysian bacchanal involving the criminal underworld and the political nomenklatura. In the end the criminal underworld prevailed. It undermined the legitimacy of the DPP Central Committee election.

The Li Ching-fu corruption scandal is the Green Camp counterpart of the Lin Yi-shi corruption scandal Among the local factions in Kaohsiung, Lin Yi-shi is the new generation Red Faction Boss. Li Ching-fu meanwhile, is considered the Black Faction Godfather. Each of them has his own power base. Both of them are guilty of extortion and bribery. The Black Faction was founded by Yu Teng-fa, a "dang wai era" figure. Yu Cheng-dao is the grandson of Yu Teng-fa. Can he retain his hold on the empire his grandfather founded? If not, so be it. But he was forced to withdraw from the National Party Congress election under pressure from Black Gold forces. Isn't this intolerable? The Green Camp has been relentlessly laughing and pointing the finger at Lin Yi-shi. The DPP should look at itself in the mirror, at the sickening spectacle of DPP party factions making deals with Black Gold underworld figures. Do DPP leaders see the four fingers pointing back at itself?

Hong Chi-kun opened this can of worms. Exactly what was his motive? That is not our concern. What the public wants to know is why the DPP deliberately allowed this to happen. Why did it allow a Black Gold underworld figure, ineligible as a candidate, to become a member of the prestigious Central Standing Committee? The Democratic Progressive Party has ruled for many years in the Kaohsiung area. Why has it condoned this "home invasion" by underworld figures? Why enable them to erode the political process? Chen Chu has long been concerned about her political image. Why allow people such as Li Ching-fu to become the sole representative of the Chen Chu faction on the Central Standing Committee?

Hong Chi-kun came forward to defend the Anti-Black Gold Articles. The DPP Central Committee refused to support him. It did just the opposite. It threatened him. It accused him of "inappropriate behavior" and "possible violations of party discipline." The DPP Central Standing Committee is in flagrant violation of the party's own Anti-Black Gold Articles. Committee members have become accomplices to Black Gold underworld figures. How is Hong Chi-kun supposed to express his objections through "normal channels?" The DPP Central Standing Committee has revealed its arrogance, cowardice, and stupidity. It is utterly unworthy of the support party reformers and non-party supporters have given it.

Green Camp supporters have proposed a number of solutions to the Li Ching-fu problem. Some suggest that Li Ching-fu voluntarily resign from the Central Standing Committee. Some suggest that Party Chairman Su Tseng-chang come forward and persuade Li to step down. But Li Ching-fu has already made clear he has no intention of resigning. Su Tseng-chang is merely bobbing and weaving. He is merely paying lip service, saying that "Any allegations must be backed by solid evidence." DPP spokesman Lin Chun-hsian even claimed that Li Ching-fu was a "qualified candidate," and that "his election was valid." But what are the violations of the party's own Anti-Black Gold Articles, but "solid evidence?" How can he be a qualified candidate? How can his election be valid? Su Tseng-chang's response was poles apart from the KMT's response to the Lin Yi-shi corruption scandal. The KMT immediately expelled Lin from the party. Su Tseng-chang cannot even compare with Tsai Ing-wen. When Cheng Shu-hua, a suspect in a corruption case was nominated for Legislator without Portfolio, Tsai Ing-wen forced her to pull out. If this is what we can expect from Su Tseng-chang, is that not frightening?

Lin Yi-shi has been expelled from the KMT. The KMT has only itself to blame. But don't the DPP's own Anti-Black Gold Articles forbid Li Ching-fu from becoming a Central Standing Committee member? Lin was a Red Faction member. Li is a Black Faction member, This is the ugly truth about Blue Camp and Green Camp Black Gold corruption. Does Su Tseng-chang intend to do something about this ugly blemish? Or does he merely intend to slap a band-aid over it and cover up the problem?

藍有林益世，綠有李清福
【聯合報╱社論】
2012.07.19 01:43 am

民進黨全代會剛在賄選聲中宣告進入「蘇貞昌時代」，隨即爆出「黃／賭／毒」各路黑道人物介入黨內選舉，扶助收賄判刑六年的李清福當選中常委。此一醜聞，無異是「綠版」的林益世事件，也成為考驗蘇貞昌領導形象的第一道試煉。

表面上看，此事似乎只是黨內派系爭權的內訌；深一層看，這卻揭露了民進黨「黑金化」布幕之一隅。如果民進黨在地方的深耕，只是挖掉了國民黨的樁腳，並取而代之與地方黑金勢力掛?，請問台灣的民主化將走向什麼境地？

在洪智坤「冒著生命危險」揭露此一醜聞之前，高雄「菊系」人馬在全代會的明爭暗鬥，其實已有諸多蛛絲馬跡可尋。包括：陳菊原規劃人選的余政憲遭逼退、邱議瑩的臨陣抱病替補，以及劉世芳的中箭落馬，情況都顯得極不尋常。而這些變化，幕後最主要的黑手竟然是「黃賭毒」等黑道勢力的介入施壓，迫使政治向「角頭」屈服，這是多麼可悲可怕的一幕。

李清福當選中常委的主要爭議有二。其一，是合法性的問題：依民進黨的《反黑金條款》，凡犯貪汙罪被起訴者，即根本失去參選資格。李清福在橋頭鄉長任內，辦理各種小型工程招標收受廠商八百多萬元賄款，一二審各依貪汙罪判十二年及六年徒刑。依《反黑金條款》的明文規定，他連參選中常委的資格都沒有，如今卻一路過關斬將，晉身成為中常委，顯已違反《反黑金條款》，根本不合法。

其二，是正當性的問題：如洪智坤所指控，民進黨全代會前夕，高雄地方角頭竟然偕同其他菊系黨代表北上，並現身選前拉票、固票餐會，不論是意在暗暗威嚇，或公然介入喬事，對選舉的公正性都構成了威脅。民進黨的權力中樞選舉，選在豪華的國際會議廳舉辦，但幕後竟是黑道、白道雜處一室的景象，而且最後由黑道勢力得逞，這使得黨中央的正當性蒙上污穢，受到質疑。

「李清福事件」其實是綠版的「林益世事件」。在高雄地方派系中，林益世是高雄「紅派」新生代掌門人，而李清福則有「黑派新教父」之稱，都是各據一方的人物，都犯下了索賄貪汙之罪。何況，「黑派」是黨外人物余登發所創，而如今余登發之孫余政道鞏固不住祖父的基業也就罷了，竟然在黨全代會遭黑金勢力連手逼退，何其不堪？對照綠營指著林益世案百般譏嘲，民進黨回首看看自己黨內派系黑金掛?的猖狂景象，它能看見正指著自己的四隻手指嗎？

洪智坤揭開這頁內幕，究竟出於什麼動機，不是國人關切的事。民眾想知道的是，民進黨為何故意開啟巧門，讓一個根本沒有資格參選的黑金人物一步步登上中常委寶座？民進黨長年在高雄地區執政，為何縱容黑道勢力侵蝕政治到這種「侵門踏戶」的地步？陳菊素來在意個人政治形象，又為何接受李清福這樣的人成為代表菊營的唯一中常委？

尤其可議的是，洪智坤挺身捍衛《反黑金條款》，黨中央非但不予支持，反而語帶威脅地稱其「行為實屬不當／可能違反黨紀」。試問，如今黨中央公然違反《反黑金條款》，成為護擁黑金人物變成中常委的共犯結構，將教洪智坤如何循「黨內既有機制」議論此事？黨中央如此倨傲、怯懦、昏庸，如何對得起黨內改革者及黨外支持者的期待？

目前，綠營內部對於李清福的去從，提出了多項解決方案，有人建議李清福主動辭去中常委職務，有人建議由黨主席蘇貞昌出面勸退。但李清福已聲明不會辭職，蘇貞昌則仍在打太極拳，只說了「任何指控都要有憑有據」的無關痛癢言論，民進黨發言人林俊憲還說李清福「候選資格合法」、「當選資格有效」。但《反黑金條款》豈不就是「憑據」？豈能「合法」？豈會「有效」？蘇貞昌的這種種反應，和國民黨立即開除林益世黨籍不能相比，甚至也不如蔡英文當初逼退涉案的不分區立委提名人鄭素華。如果這就是蘇貞昌的風格，豈不令人駭異？

林益世被逐出國民黨，咎由自取；但難道民進黨《反黑金條款》所禁止的李清福竟能晉身中常委？一個紅派，一個黑派，映照出高雄藍綠陣營的黑金真相。這塊大瘡疤，蘇貞昌究竟是要認真挖除，或是只想貼張狗皮膏藥遮醜了事？