Internet users parody Wang Jin-pyng affair
Staff Reporter 2013-09-14 16:39
Wang Jin-pyng had his Kuomintang membership revoked on Wednesday, above, but more twists have followed in the tale of intrigue that has gripped the imaginations of netizens. (Photo/Chen Chuo-bang)
The political tug-of-war in Taiwan between President Ma Ying-jeou and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng has inspired internet users on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to come up with parodies drawn from statements made by the two men and likening their political struggle to popular period dramas, according to our Chinese-language sister paper Want Daily.
Wang at the start of this week was denounced publicly by the president, who accused him of interfering in a legal case. Ma charged Wang with making a phone call to former justice minister Tseng Yung-fu to urge that prosecutors not appeal a ruling in a case involving opposition Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming, who had been found not guilty of breach of trust by Taiwan's High Court after two previous guilty verdicts. Many have criticized Ma for his move, however, saying the evidence against Wang was obtained by illegal wiretapping. Tseng has since resigned in protest.
Ma's remark about Wang's alleged lobbying — "if this is not influence peddling, then what is influence peddling?" — has gone viral on the internet in Taiwan and China. Masa, the bass player of Taiwanese pop band Mayday, promoted the band's new 3D concert movie by posting: "If this is not a 3D film, then what is a 3D film?"
Other internet users replaced the words "influence peddling" with "brown-nosing" and "human suffering" among other variations.
Some netizens also likened the affair to popular period drama Prince of Lan Ling, where a king learns of a plot by a powerful official to depose him but manages to turn the tables and set a trap to catch the official off guard. Many Chinese netizens said the Ma-Wang scandal has been more entertaining than TV shows.
While many media outlets in Taiwan have suspected Ma's action has been the seized opportunity to take down a well-liked rival within the party, microbloggers in China have tended to take the scandal at face value and praise Ma's integrity against Wang's assumed duplicity.
An internet user in China going by the name Dan Bin said, "What is the Ma administration to do with Taiwan's democracy and social values? Which is more important — maintaining personal relationships or protecting democracy and the rule of law? It is extremely difficult to coldly enforce the law in Chinese society where social relationships are held dear. I have been more than impressed by Ma's spirit in safeguarding justice and the law!"
Chinese author Xu Shaolin also said on his microblog that Ma's determination to maintain discipline within his party has been impressive and that he admires the president's courage and moral standards in fighting evil and injustice. Taiwan has produced a leader who is clean, fluent in English and law-abiding. He makes every Chinese proud, Xu said.
Wang Jin-pyng wins reprieve with Taipei court ruling
CNA and Staff Reporter 2013-09-14 15:35
Wang Jin-pyng greets supporters at his residence in Taipei after scoring a crucial legal victory in his fight to stay on as legislative speaker, Sept. 14. (Photo/Chen Hsin-han)
The head of Taiwan's legislature, Wang Jin-pyng, won a reprieve Friday when a Taipei court granted his request for an injunction, allowing him to retain his membership of the ruling party for the time being — and presumably his job as the president of the Legislative Yuan.
Wang filed the request Wednesday, shortly after the ruling Kuomintang revoked his membership for his role in pressuring a prosecutor to drop an appeal against another lawmaker.
In granting his request with a bond of NT$9.38 million (US$316,000), the court has allowed Wang to continue to exercise his rights as a KMT member while he pursues legal action to seek reinstatement in the party.
Along with the injunction request, Wang filed a civil lawsuit asking the court to confirm the validity of his party membership on the grounds of unfair treatment by the KMT. It could take months for the case to run its course.
Chen Ming, the lawyer representing the KMT, said he was disappointed at the court's ruling and indicated an intention to appeal as soon as possible.
The panel of three judges granted Wang's request on the basis of avoiding "irreparable damages" that the plaintiff would suffer due to a loss of eligibility to serve in the legislature while waiting for a court to rule on his other lawsuit.
The question of whether Wang remains a lawmaker and president of the Legislative Yuan, however, does not fall within the boundary of the injunction request, the judges said.
Wang, 72, has been a legislator-at-large appointed by the KMT and a revocation of party membership would remove him from seat. A 38-year veteran of the legislature, he has served as its president since 1999.
The Taipei District Court's decision came on the same day that Wang presided over a meeting of party caucus leaders at the Legislature, despite a Thursday request from the Central Election Commission (CEC) to remove his name from the list of legislators.
Liu Yi-chou, deputy chief of the CEC, would not comment on the court's decision, saying only that pending a formal response from the Legislative Yuan, the commission would not be able to announce a replacement for Wang as a KMT-appointed legislator.
"I will perform my duties for as long as I'm in the job," Wang told reporters.
The unprecedented case of a legislative speaker effectively being forced out of his post by his own party has been criticized as a "constitutional crisis" by opposition parties. President Ma Ying-jeou, who also chairs the KMT, has been portrayed as locked in a political struggle against Wang, as the two have maintained a courteous but never close relationship.
The Presidential Office has maintained that the evidence clearly indicates Wang crossed a red line by interfering in the judiciary. He successfully pressured a prosecutor to drop an appeal against a verdict that benefited Ker Chien-ming, a leader of the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party's legislative caucus, the office said.
Wang called justice minister Tseng Yung-fu and a senior prosecutor in late June, allegedly to seek help on Ker's behalf. While he did not deny the calls, Wang claimed that he only discussed prosecutorial appeals in general and did not touch on any specific cases. Tseng has since resigned in protest.
