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2012 ELECTIONS:
‘Dirty tactics’ accusations fly
TIT FOR TAT: The DPP says the KMT has abused
state resources to help its election efforts, while the KMT said that the DPP is
waging a ‘smear campaign’ against it
By Rich Chang and Mo Yan-chih / Staff Reporters
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said the Chinese Nationalist
Party (KMT) was using 10 “dirty tactics” in the run-up to the presidential
election, sparking accusations by the KMT that the DPP was engaging in a
“discrediting campaign.”
DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) told a press conference that the KMT had
abused state resources to interfere in the elections, with actions including the
abuse of national security authorities to monitor DPP presidential candidate
Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) campaign efforts.
Earlier this week, Next Magazine unveiled a document from the Ministry of
Justice’s Investigation Bureau that it claimed showed the bureau had collected
information on Tsai for the National Security Council (NSC).
Lin said the KMT also directed judicial authorities to launch an investigation
into the KMT’s allegation that Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) had profiteered from Yu Chang
Biologics Co (宇昌生技股份有限公司) when she was vice premier in 2006 and 2007.
He said the KMT had abused government resources to help the party’s chances in
the elections, such as Control Yuan Vice President Chen Jinn-lih (陳進利) and
Minister of Education Wu Ching-ji (吳清基) attending President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九)
and Premier Wu Den-yih’s (吳敦義) campaign event.
Lin said the KMT was suspected of vote-buying in Greater Taichung’s Shihgang
District (石岡) and local DPP officials had recorded the act, but judicial
authorities have not questioned anyone involved in the matter.
Conversely, when a DPP official from a Greater Kaohsiung borough was going to a
wedding party with a number of neighbors, prosecutors accused them of vote
buying.
Other “anonymous smear tactics” included hanging a large number of posters
saying Tsai had bullied farmers and using the media to make false accusations
against Tsai, Lin said.
Lin said other dirty tactics included giving cash to voters, treating them to
free tours and paying facility bills on their behalf.
In response, the KMT lashed out at the DPP’s latest allegations and urged Tsai’s
camp to stop its “smear campaign.”
Stepping up its efforts to defend Ma’s integrity over recent accusations that he
instructed the NSC to monitor Tsai’s campaign, the KMT dismissed Tsai’s claim
that Wu had rescheduled his campaign events after obtaining information on
Tsai’s campaign schedule. It insisted that Wu’s schedule was previously
determined.
“The campaign schedules of KMT presidential and vice presidential candidates are
transparent and open. The DPP made groundless accusations without
double-checking the situation and refused to acknowledge its mistakes
afterwards. Should people depend on such an irresponsible party?” KMT Culture
and Communication Committee director Chuang Po-chun (莊伯仲) told a press
conference.
Chuang’s comments came after Tsai raised questions on Thursday about the
possible use of the state intelligence apparatus to monitor her campaign
activities.
She accused Ma’s camp of obtaining information about her meeting with
independent Greater Taichung Councilor Lai Yi-huang (賴義鍠) on Wednesday
afternoon, as her camp found out that Wu had called Lai earlier the same day to
set up an impromptu meeting two hours before Tsai’s scheduled courtesy call.
KMT spokesperson Lai Su-ju (賴素如) said the KMT invited the councilor to meet with
Wu earlier this month and decided last Staurday that the two would meet on
Wednesday at the councilor’s office in Greater Taichung.
She added that it was the director of the DPP’s Taichung branch, Tseng Chao-jung
(曾朝榮), who called the councilor on Wednesday to set up a meeting with him.
Lai said Tseng should move his meeting with Tsai to another day to avoid a
problem because of Wu’s visit, but Tseng refused to reschedule the meeting, she
said.
“This incident once again proved that the DPP has a habit of making groundless
accusations. Tsai should offer an apology for discrediting others without any
evidence,” she said.
The NSC, the National Security Bureau and the Investigation Bureau have all said
there had been no wrongdoing on their part.
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