|
Legislators slam Ma over PRC tycoon’s
visit
By Yan Juo-chin / Staff Reporter, with
agencies
A woman lies on the ground after falling during a scuffle with a policewoman in
Hsinchu yesterday. The woman had rushed over from New Taipei City in an effort
to get a cash handout from Chinese tycoon and philanthropist Chen Guangbiao.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
In view of the chaotic scenes stirred up by Chinese tycoon Chen Guangbiao (陳光標),
who was stopped by several Taiwanese begging for cash handouts yesterday,
lawmakers across party lines accused the government of shaming Taiwan.
“Don’t you feel ashamed, [President] Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九)? Letting go of the local
government to heap praise on Chen, letting go in the face of Chen’s display of
arrogance and letting go of Taiwan so it becomes like a place full of hungry
people,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Pan Men- an (潘孟安) said,
referring to Chen’s flamboyant style of charity, which is well-known in China.
Chen arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday night and began distributing cash to
disadvantaged families yesterday in what he called a response to the outpouring
of support Taiwanese showed for Chinese victims of the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake.
Earlier yesterday, Chen handed three red envelopes containing a total of
NT$70,000 (US$2,300) to a woman who said she had been waiting for him at his
hotel in Taipei since Wednesday night.
“I’ve never counted so many banknotes. I don’t know what to do. I will use the
money to take care of my 88-year-old mother,” the woman told reporters, her
voice cracking with emotion.
Chen’s schedule took him to Hsinchu County later yesterday, where he donated
NT$6.7 million to disadvantaged families in cooperation with the county
government. A tearful woman there also attempted to get closer to Chen, saying
she had traveled from Taipei to Hsinchu to ask for money to pay for her
husband’s funeral.
She was stopped by police before getting near Chen.
While speaking to the Taiwanese media, Chen was seen holding up a wad of
NT$2,000 notes spread out in a fan shape. Chen has said that he planned to
donate up to NT$500 million to the poor in Taiwan.
Pan said Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) ought to be ashamed
because of the government’s inadequate welfare system.
“The nation’s underprivileged are forced to surrender their dignity and beg from
a hypocrite,” Pan said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) concurred,
criticizing the Ma government for what she called inadequate preparation and not
keeping Chen’s actions in Taiwan in check.
“This is utterly shameful,” Lo said. “Chen’s high-profile donation manner makes
it seem as if our government cannot take good care of its people.”
The government should immediately get in touch with Chen and advise him to make
his donations via local charity groups, hence avoiding a replay of Chen being
bombarded by people begging for donations wherever he goes, Lo said.
Some county governments and DPP officials have voiced opposition to Chen’s
donation plans in Taiwan, raising concern that his high-profile manner might
hurt the recipients’ feelings or dignity.
Meanwhile, Chen canceled his business itinerary, raising further doubts, because
he was granted entry to Taiwan as a business professional and was supposed to
participate in business activities during his stay under the regulations
governing cross-strait travel.
Responding to accusations he was promoting unification with China, 42-year-old
Chen told reporters yesterday: “I don’t know anything about propaganda for
Chinese reunification. I only know about charity and environmental work. I just
want to do good.”
Chen is scheduled to visit Nantou County and Hualien County during the remainder
of his trip.
|
