Wu's ties with 'gangster' reflect unsavory reality

For the premier has found himself in an embarrassing, or perhaps scandalous, development concerning his friendship with a man who has a long criminal history that includes murder, gun-running, theft and extortion.

While the government is stepping up a crackdown on criminal elements threatening professional baseball in Taiwan in the wake of game-fixing allegations, Next magazine has revealed that Wu last year visited the Indonesian island resort of Bali with that man, Chiang Chin-liang, as well as Nantou County Magistrate Lee Chao-chin.

Chiang, currently on parole for a prison term that lasts until 2017, is now the head of an association for the promotion of Nantou, the home county of both the premier and the ex-convict.

The government's spokesman responded to the magazine's revelation by stressing that Wu paid for the trip with his own expenses.

Wu also played down his relationship with Chiang, saying society should not look down upon ex-convicts and should instead give them a chance to reform.

We do not question Wu's arguments or his spokesman's claims. The premier is right about giving ex-convicts a second chance, and the possibility of him accepting a small favor in the form of a free trip is peripheral.

The core issue is structural rather than personal. We need to ask how deeply involved gangsters are in Taiwan's politics.

President Ma Ying-jeou is known for his “cleanness.” He has seldom personally dealt with the “dirty” work behind the scenes that have often been crucial in many political developments.

He has such political figures as Wu to do the “dirty” work. “Dirty” work here does not necessarily mean corrupt or criminal dealings, but refers to face-to-face encounters, behind-the-scene maneuverings, and bargaining that involve all sorts of people, gangsters included.

Wu went to Bali island when he was secretary-general of the ruling Kuomintang — a position requiring him to do exactly the above-mentioned work.

The magazine alleged that the trip — officially a fact-finding tour to Bali for the advancement of Nantou's tourism — was actually intended to settle the KMT's nomination for the central county in next month's magistrate poll.

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