Say No to Corruption: A Red Card Means You're Out

Say No to Corruption: A Red Card Means You're Out
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
July 3, 2012

Summary: Lin Yi-shi was a rising star painstakingly cultivated by the KMT. Clearly it was a failed experiment. The Blue Camp pool of talent is stretched to the limit. The Ma administration is a poor judge of character. The corruption scandal is a heartbreaking lesson that has battered the image of the party. The only good news is that it has confirmed that the rule of law prevails, and is increasingly even-handed. Any politician who gets a Red Card is out of the game. No ifs, ands, or buts. After all, we are a country in which even a president who breaks the law is subject to the same punishment as a common person, let alone a mere Lin Yi-shi?

Full Text below:

After a night of interrogation, former Executive Yuan Secretary-General Lin Yi-shi was charged with several counts of political corruption. The Special Investigation Unit has detained him. Lin is the youngest ever Vice Chairman of the KMT. He is the Legislative Yuan party whip. He is the Executive Yuan Secretary-General. Lin Yi-shi is the golden boy of the KMT and the Ma administration. He was being groomed for high office. Now he is like a soccer player guilty of a violent foul. He has received a Red Card and has been suspended from the game, permanently. He has been expelled from the stadium. He has been humiliated.

In this particular case, the Special Investigation Unit deserves recognition. On June 27, The Weekly Edition broke the news. The Special Investigation Unit immediately began assigning individual cases. It prevented suspects from leaving the country, issued suspect alerts, obtained arrest and search warrants. On the fourth day it obtained an arrest warrant for Lin Yi-shi. As soon as hearings were concluded, he was held incommunicado.

Legislators and other elected officials have been known to abuse their power and influence. Many Blue and Green camp people are currently serving time. But Lin Yi-shi is an especially bitter disappointment. One. His alleged acts of bribery occurred just after Chen Shui-bian was convicted and imprisoned for political corruption. Public disgust with corruption was especially intense. Yet Lin debase himself anyway. He chose self-destructive greed. Two. President Ma held high the banner of "clean government." Lin Yi-shi occupied key positions within the party and within the administration. He did more than fail to lead by example. He wallowed in degradation. Three. After Lin Yi-shi lost his bid for reelection, he was apppointed Secretary-General of the Cabinet. President Ma trusted him. Now the image of the cabinet has been dealt a sever blow. Even worse, it leaves the impression that the president is a poor judge of character. The result is truly heartbreaking.

Let us examine the ins and outs of the case. Are George Chen's accusations against Lin Yi-shi true? That remains to be determined, by law enforcement and investigative officials. ,  Earlier this year, George Chen accused Lin Yi-shi of extortion. As a result China Steel Corporation was forced to cease supplying slag for some time. It may be that the Ti Yung Company illegally stored slag. The Kaohsiung Environmental Protection Agency repeatedly fined China Steel and ordered it to stop supplying product. George Chen was unable to obtain the product he neededd. Lin Yi-shi accepted bribes before. Chen expected Lin to help him out. He probably felt that Lin turned his back on him. Chen may have decided to blow the whistle on Lin. He may have decided to use the 63 million dollar bribe Lin accepted previously as leverage against him, even though they would both go down together. The result was a "golden boy" dug his own grave and jumped in it.

From what has been disclosed so far Lin Yi-shi's arrogance was incredible. For example Lin said, "I approved the Vanda CEO appointment." "I will take care of the matter. You will be very pleased with the results." "I'm the one who applies the Treasury Seal. I'm the one in charge of it." "The only ones who come to work at the Executive Yuan are the Premier, Vice Premier, and myself. The others are all my staffers." Listen to his tone. It is as if the entire Executive Yuan was in Lin Yi-shi's hands. This is the attitude of a petty dictator. President Ma, is this the same Lin Yi-shi you know?

The Lin corruption scandal has exposed the dark underbelly of government-run companies such as China Steel. Lin Yi-shi argued that the Ti Yung Company's construction costs exceeded 70 million dollars in two years. He said allegations that he extorted over 100 million dollars from them were "clearly exaggerated." Yet the exaggerated figures turned out to be true. As we can see, China Steel was ripe pickings for government vultures. China Steel even had a "Legislative Liason." What sort of funny business goes on in other government agencies without "Legislative Liasons?" Was China Steel guilty of wrongdoing? If so, someone will have to take the fall. If China Steel personnel are sued, perhaps in the future companies such as China Steel, China Petroleum, and Taipower will have a good excuse to "Just say no" to officials who demand bribes. 

More than a few legislators have been indicted recently for demanding bribes. Cases include stealing and selling sand and gravel, illegal land development or rentals, illegal tour bus lines, or physician groups lobbying for compensation. Lin Yi-shi argued that his relationship with Ti Yung was perfectly above board. He was merely "serving his constituents." But his "service to his constituents" included demands for bribes. This commercialized the legislator's "service to his constituents." It turned it into quid pro quo transactions. It dressed up bribery as service to constituents. It twisted the meaning of the "service" provided by government agencies or public enterprises. It harmed the national interest. It abused public resources for the purpose of making a private profit. The biggest problem left over by the Lin corruption scandal is how to prevent politicians from making a private profit from public resources, all under the guise of "serving the constituents" or "reflecting the public will."

Lin Yi-shi was a rising star painstakingly cultivated by the KMT. Clearly it was a failed experiment. The Blue Camp pool of talent is stretched to the limit. The Ma administration is a poor judge of character. The corruption scandal is a heartbreaking lesson that has battered the image of the party. The only good news is that it has confirmed that the rule of law prevails, and is increasingly even-handed. Any politician who gets a Red Card is out of the game. No ifs, ands, or buts. After all, we are a country in which even a president who breaks the law is subject to the same punishment as a common person, let alone a mere Lin Yi-shi?

不可貪汙：紅牌祭出，立即出場！
【聯合報╱社論】
2012.07.03 01:53 am

經過徹夜偵訊，前行政院祕書長林益世以貪汙罪嫌重大，遭到特偵組聲押獲准。頂著國民黨最年輕副主席、立院大黨鞭、行政院祕書長等光環，林益世一路受到國民黨和馬政府的寵信與提拔；如今，他卻像在足球賽中惡性犯規的球員，紅牌祭出，立即被逐出了球場，狼狽萬狀。

在本案中，特偵組的表現值得肯定。六月二十七日，周刊爆料見刊，特偵組於第一時間立即剪報分案，然後馬上將相關人等限制出境，展開傳訊、拘提、搜索，至第四天即傳至林益世，訊完即聲請收押禁見。

立委或民代濫權關說，時有所聞，藍綠陣營均有多人仍在接受司法審判，而林案卻格外讓人感到痛心疾首，原因是：一，他涉嫌索賄的時段，正在陳水扁貪汙受審入獄之後，社會憎惡貪瀆的氣氛高漲，他卻不知自愛，刀口舔血。二，馬總統高舉「清廉執政」大旗，林益世歷任黨政重要幹部，非但不能以身作則，竟然自甘下流。三，林益世選舉失利後應命出任內閣祕書長要職，顯示馬總統對其的信任；但經過此案，不僅內閣形象受到重創，更暴露總統「昧於知人」，令人扼腕。

觀察來龍去脈，陳啟祥對林益世的種種指控是否全然屬實，仍有待檢調仔細查證。其中，例如陳啟祥指林益世今年初因索賄未遂，因而指使中鋼公司停止對其供應爐渣一節，實情可能是因地勇公司違法堆置爐渣，遭高雄環保局連續開罰並要求中鋼停止對其供貨；而陳啟祥因無法進料，要求曾經收賄的林益世協助關說卻未能如願，認為林翻臉不認人，於是利用前次交付六千三百萬賄款之把柄爆料，不惜與林益世偕亡，而使一個光鮮的「政治金童」就此跳進了自掘的墳墓。

從目前透露的案情中，林益世的言語之狂悖，實在令人難以置信。例如他說，「中聯董事長的人事，是我批出去的」，「一定處理到讓你很舒適（平順）」，「現在國庫印章是我在蓋，也是我在管的」，「行政院只有院長、副院長和我在上班，其他人都是我們的幕僚」。聽聽這種口氣，彷彿整個行政院都翻覆在他林益世的股掌之間，一副土皇帝的姿態。馬總統，這人就是你認識的林益世嗎？

林案也暴露了中鋼之類的「官營上市公司」的黑幕不堪聞問。林益世自己辯稱，地勇兩年總工程款才七千多萬元，說他索討一億多元未免「太誇張」；然而，如此誇張的事竟然是確有其事，即可見中鋼已是政治禿鷹的獵場。試想，中鋼還要設「國會連絡人」，這連有些政府單位都沒有的編制，裡面究竟有什麼文章？而中鋼若在本案中確有違失，恐也應有人必須承當法律責任；倘能讓中鋼人員吃上官司，是否反而能成為未來中鋼、中油、台電之類的公司得以拒絕關說的正大光明的理由？

目前因關說案被起訴的立法委員，早超過一個巴掌之多；從關說盜賣砂石、土地違法開發或租售，到為不法客運業者關說或為醫師團體遊說而索取報酬，不一而足。林益世稍早辯稱，他和地勇的關係只是在「服務選民」；但選民服務而索取報酬，那就是把立委的服務商品化、交易化，甚至假藉服務之名壓迫行政部門或公營企業曲解法令，侵害國家利益，以遂行圖利私人之目的。從這個角度看，如何防杜政治人物假藉「服務選民」或「反映民意」之名來圖利自己及他人，正是林益世案所留下的最大課題。

林益世原是國民黨苦心栽培的明日之星，如今證明這是個失敗的實驗。藍營人才庫之捉襟見肘，與馬政府之識人不明，皆因本案而成了重創形象的錐心教訓。唯一值得慶幸的是，這又再度證實，在法治日趨中立嚴謹的今日，任何政治人物，只要紅牌祭出，就必須出場，絕無僥倖可言。畢竟，我們是一個總統犯法與庶民同罪的國家，何況只是一個林益世？