Wu's ties with 'gangster' reflect unsavory reality

But now Chiang is the leader of a major supporter' group campaigning for Lee.

His role in the campaign is not a small one, judging from the fact that he has stumped for Lee together with Wu's wife.

Why is Chiang involved in the campaign? Isn't it true that the KMT is relying on him because of the ties and influences he built up during his days as leader of a major local gang in central Taiwan, even if he may no longer be its boss now?

On the national level, there has seldom been gangster elements involved openly in the administration or parliament, perhaps with one major exception in former Legislator Lo Fu-chu, who admits to being the “spiritual leader” of one of Taiwan's biggest gangs. His son, Lo Ming-tsai, is currently a KMT member in the national Legislature.

Administrators of major cities and counties may also be clean themselves.

But how many of the elections that get these politicians to their seats — either on the national or local levels — involve support in one way or another from gangsters or people with ties to gangsters?

On more grassroots levels, gangsters often do not have to hide themselves behind the scenes, and many alleged gangsters have been elected to local representative bodies.

One of the underlying problems with Taiwan's politics is that it is built on local factional interests that offer many opportunities of manipulation.

During election times, one of the major tasks for political parties is often to settle conflicts and struggles between different local factions in order to avoid a split that may undermine their winning chances.

President Ma has been trying to rid the KMT of such factional interests. He has been bent on nominating candidates with clean reputations, rather than ones representing factional interests.

But his nomination strategy has frequently been criticized as unrealistic.

Until Taiwan politics is free from factional influences, it would be no surprise to see Wu or other high-level officials befriending gangsters.

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