- Black gold (politics)
Black gold (zh-cp|c=黑金|p=hēi jīn) is a term used in the
Republic of China (Taiwan ) to refer to political corruption. The term refers to the obtaining of money (the "gold") through a dark, secretive, and corrupt method (the "black").The
Kuomintang (KMT) has frequently been criticized in Taiwan for its connections to gangsters and black gold. The party has had a long association with underground societies, and its founderSun Yat-sen had joined the Triads to gain support for the Republican Revolution. In its early years, the KMT relied on support from organized crime, gangs, and unions and clan organizations with criminal ties in its efforts to consolidate power in war-torn post-imperial China. As a result, the party made concessions to local "crime bosses", such as the notoriousDu Yuesheng inShanghai , who were well-connected with its longtime leader,Chiang Kai-shek . The KMT's relationships with such organizations are believed to persist. KMT fled to Taiwan following theChinese Civil War . As Minister of Justice from 1993 to 1996, former Taipei mayor and KMT Party ChairmanMa Ying-jeou is credited with attempts to fight black gold corruption and bring KMT out of corruption, and his removal from office was widely attributed to him being "too" effective at fighting black gold.The
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) gained considerable support in the 1990s through its reform agenda, even from those opposed to the DPP position on Taiwanese independence. PresidentChen Shui-bian , former Taipei mayor, was noted for his attempts to clamp down on black gold throughout his career. However, Chen Shui-bian and the DPP government have recently been criticized, including by former colleagues and supporters, for exploiting their control of government for personal wealth in, ironically, a typical black-gold manner. Former DPP party leaderHsu Hsin-liang has criticized Chen in a public speech for betraying the ideals of the DPP after coming to power. After a series of high-profile corruption scandals, public support for DPP diminished in the 2005 "Three-in-One" election. Campaigning on a "save Taiwan from corruption" platform, the KMT-ledpan-blue coalition won 16 of 23 county and town offices and became the majority party at the local level.External links
* [http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/magazine/2000/0317/nat.4taiwan.kmt.html Asiaweek: The Curse of Black Gold]
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