CSB as Mayor:-
Rotation of local police heads-extremely effective strategy in undermining the relationship between gangsters and area police. Most famed outcome the eventual down fall of Taipei’s then police chief, name escapes me but I’m sure somebody will know. He was exposed for one kickback in particular of a 30 million dollar property in Mucha.
Closing down of road side poker machines, once rife through out Taipei. These roadside palors had the gangsters at the end of your street in almost every neighborhood in Taipei.
The break down of the Lily Sex ring.
Actually, large scale crack downs on brothels, street peddlers, etc. was probably one of the reasons Chen lost the Mayoral Election. Whilst he appealed to the middle classes he didn’t appeal so much to Taipei’s underclasses.
Disassociation of Taipei City’s Mucha Line with it’s French constructor. That project was so rife with corruption the garbage bins cost 400,000 NT.
However, I agree with all that you said Jive Turkey, but it was only in the past ten years that there has been an increase freedom in the press, only under LDH and CSB stewardship has there been any changing sense in people on Taiwan that they have rights, that the rule of law ought be upheld and applied dispassionately. It might seem like a slow process, but in fact ten or even twenty years for a society to evolve is really quite fast, don’t you think?
Democray might have suited LDH. He likely does see its advent as a means of allowing independence sentiments to grow in Taiwan. That isn’t a crime that is a political position, and one held by many people on Taiwan. Whilst I agree he had to consider the consequences of his actions so as not to invoke a catastrophic outcome on Taiwan, he showed extremely good judgement on exactly how far he could push the envelope on this issue.
Of course LDH and CSB are not poster boys but who is? Are you Jive Turkey? I’m not. I’m the first person to agree that Taiwan has some serious problems in its police force and courts. A lot of these issues are duristrictional though.
As for the extracts from TDH’s speeches, I don’t know what your rolling your eyes at. It all sounds like fairly standard and appropriate rhetoric to me.
It’s true that LDH pulled the rug out from under the KMT, and Sung in particular. In fact he has pulled the rug out from under so many people that he is regarded as a cur. Poor old James Sung it makes my heart bleed to hear what happened to him. He’ll be back though. What you ought to be asking yourself is why Sung? What was it with regards to the advent of Taiwan’s democracy, LDH’s passion for independence and Sung?
I’m sure you know the answer to that, and doesn’t it disturb you just a smidgen?