With the legislative and presidential elections looming, the DPP has begun to beat its brains to think up new ways that it can put itself in the media spotlight and attract voter support.

President Chen Shui-bian told the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) last week to work out a plan to grant a general amnesty (or commutation, or pardon) to the island’s prison inmates.

The term used in the news was first “dashe” or general amnesty. Then it was “jianxing” (commutation). Then the term “jianxing shemian” (commutation pardon) was used. Kind of baffling, isn’t it? But creating bafflement is what the DPP is good at doing.

Noting that the previous national commutation was meted out 16 years ago to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China, the president said another commutation is appropriate for this year, as it is the 20th anniversary of the lifting of martial law and the 60th anniversary of the 2-28 Incident.

Chen made the announcement during a meeting with visiting Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town Desmond Mpilo Tutu at his office.

The idea was first brought up by a DPP lawmaker. It received a mixed reaction among the party’s legislators. But it seems to have found favor with the president. Vice President Annette Lu has given her support to the president’s proposal, claiming the proposal deserves support by the public.

There are good reasons for the commutation, Lu said. The island’s prisons are crowded and this year marks the 20th anniversary of the lifting of martial law in Taiwan.

Lu rejected the view that the president’s plan to offer a “commutation pardon” is actually a campaign strategy. That view is “nonsense,” Lu observed.

According to Vice Justice Minister Lee Chin-yung, his ministry is working on drafting a bill that is in line with Chen’s instruction to commute some sentences this year.

The amnesty will not cover criminals who have committed serious crimes.

Quoting Article 40 of the Constitution of the Republic of China, Lee said the president has the power to grant amnesties, pardons, cut sentences and reinstate civil rights in accordance with the law. Taiwan has granted four general commutations since the promulgation of the Constitution in 1947, he added.

The president’s plan to reduce sentences for inmates has prompted a debate among the general public, receiving severe criticism from families of crime victims, such as the famous entertainer Pai Ping-ping.

Critics say that if the island’s prisons are crowded, it means that Premier Su Cheng-chang has failed to live up to his vow to lower the crime rate.

They also point out that many of the inmates who will be released in the amnesty are individuals without the ability to earn a livelihood. When these people are allowed to leave prison, it probably won’t be long before they return to the life of a criminal and are eventually arrested again.

Pai Ping-ping was vehement when she heard of the DPP administration’s proposal to reduce sentences for inmates.

In 1997, the 17-year-old daughter of Pai Ping-ping, a hugely popular singer, was kidnapped as she was walking to school. The police were called, but the rescue mission failed. The girl was brutally murdered by her kidnappers. It was a tragic and heart-rending incident. The entertainer said she had no reason to forgive her daughter’s murderers.

Despite the DPP administration’s denial, it is hard to believe President Chen’s commutation proposal is not related to the party’s electoral campaigns. However, whether the move will have a significant effect on the outcome of upcoming elections remains to be seen.

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