Breaking News, World News and Taiwan News.

Updated Monday, December 20, 2010 11:10 am TWN, The China Post news staff

Sponsors
▪	Get the best deals for Guangzhou Hotels or choose from more than 10,000 hotels in 499 Chinese cities.
▪	Find great real time deals on China Flights. Book flights to China or China domestic flights 24/7.
▪	Buy china wholesale products from reliable chinese wholesalers on DHgate.com!
▪	Save 75% for all hotels in Shanghai, Beijing and whole China. Lowest rates for Flights in China.

DPP skeptical of new farmer association rules

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said it will oppose a proposal to relax the qualifications and criteria for officials of farmers and fishermen associations in Taiwan, saying the move could revive corruption and criminal activities in the grassroots organizations.

Lawmakers will start reviewing the latest amendments to the rules governing the farmers associations and fishermen associations on Wednesday.

DPP Legislator Pan Meng-an said yesterday that the proposed rules will allow people who received probation in court trials and those who do not have delinquent debt records for five years to take part in the elections of association representatives, directors and executive secretaries.

This will create a loophole for those with indecent backgrounds to regain the seats and control the organizations of farmers and fishermen throughout Taiwan, he said.

Some former association officials were excluded from joining the elections because they had engaged in activities alleged to have diverted funds from the credit cooperatives of the associations and coerced other farmers and fishermen.

These people will have the chance to return and retake positions of power at the associations if the new and eased rules are ratified by the lawmakers, Pan said.

In response, Legislator Hsiao Ching-tien of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) said the proposed modifications of the existing rules are related to the changes of the status of the farmers and fishermen associations in major cities following the completion of the new elections at the five special municipalities and the elevation in the status of the cities.

There are no reasons to bar those who were granted probations from joining the races since the nation's judicial system already gave defendants new opportunities, he said.

The suggested rule to allow those who do not have delinquent debt records for five years to run for positions in the associations will conform to the existing regulations applied to all financial institutions, Hsiao explained.

In addition, the nation's Joint Credit Information Center (JCIC), established under the bankers association to collect, process, and exchange credit information among financial institutions, presently maintains relevant credit data for no longer than five years, he added.

It would be highly difficult and infeasible to keep track of people's credit records for a period longer than five years under the current practice.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here