Black gold (politics)
Black gold ( Chinese 黑金 , Pinyin hēi jīn ) is a term for corruption and criminal influence in the politics of the Republic of China (Taiwan) . Black gold is the typical regional designation within the media for a mutually influencing triangle made up of organized crime, free economy and politics. Here gold stands as a metaphor for money and black for the concealment and obscurity of these machinations.
The Kuomintang Party (KMT) is regularly criticized for its contacts with organized crime and the black gold. The party has been linked to the underworld since Sun Yat-sen joined a triad to gain support for his Xinhai revolution . After most of the members of the KMT fled to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War , Ma Ying-jeou, Acting Minister of Justice and former Mayor of Taipei and President of the Republic of China from 1993 to 1996, sought to fight the black gold.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) achieved considerable popularity in the 1990s through its reform efforts. President Chen Shui-bian , the former mayor of Taipei, has received benevolence throughout his career for his attempts against black gold. However, Chen was criticized, also by former colleagues and supporters, for using his power for his own interests.
Former DPP chairman Hsu Hsin-liang in a public speech accused Chen of defrauding the DPP's ideals after he came to power. After a series of corruption scandals, the popularity of the DPP declined in the local elections in 2005. With the campaign "Save Taiwan from Corruption", the KMT-led pan-blue coalition won 16 out of 23 county and city elections and gained a majority at the local level.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Second television election debate of the presidential candidates ( memento of the original from November 3, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Radio Taiwan International , February 21, 2004
