Wei Pingzheng talks about the chilling effect of the election bribery case: even the barbecue lottery was hastily withdrawn, calling for consistent standards to avoid unfair elections

Changhua Speaker Hsieh Dian-lin and his father Hsieh Xinlong were detained in connection with the election bribery case at a parliamentary banquet. Their mother Zheng Rufen posted a bail of NT$1 million. Wei Pingzheng, the candidate for Changhua County Mayor of the Kuomintang, went on a radio program today (23rd) to talk about the issue of vote bribery. He bluntly said that the judicial case has had a "chilling effect" on candidates across Taiwan. Even the Mid-Autumn Festival barbecue raffle prizes were rushed to be taken back. He called on the Ministry of Justice to establish consistent standards as soon as possible to avoid indiscriminate reports or only investigating one side, resulting in unfair elections.

In an exclusive interview with a radio program hosted by veteran media person Yin Naijing, Wei Pingzheng pointed out that candidates are most afraid of being reported and investigated by their opponents. Even when the KMT Taichung City Party Headquarters asked the Taichung District Prosecutor's Office whether tribute ball soup could be provided at the event, they were told that "one is OK, two are not," which he found very outrageous and surprising.

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He believes that vote bribery should not just look at the price of food or items, but should go back to the legal basis of whether it affects voting intention and consideration. General entertainment such as tea and biscuits should not be regarded as vote bribery and investigated based on value determination.

Wei Pingzheng said that when Minister of Justice Chen Dingnan clearly ordered 30 yuan, it was a promotional item, not a consideration. Now everyone is confused. Originally, they thought that holding briefings and symposiums and basic tea should not be a big problem. For example, when voters go to the headquarters, the headquarters should prepare biscuits and candies. According to common sense, it is normal and necessary to serve tea. The value should not be used to judge election bribery. But now candidates are afraid of being reported and investigated. In the absence of unified standards, if the prosecutor favors only one party, it will be very beneficial to the other party and affect the fairness of the election.

Talking about the detention of Xie Dianlin, Wei Pingzheng also believed that the detention involves political participation. If the defendant denies the crime, the prosecutor should provide more specific evidence and should not just detain the person to obtain a confession out of fear of annihilation of evidence. He said that it is quite rare to detain three important members of the same family at one time, and the methods adopted by the judiciary should stand the test. This judicial case prevented Zheng Rufen, who was originally the head of the advisory group of his campaign headquarters, from continuing to assist in the election, which affected his election. However, he respects Zheng Rufen's decision and will. The election ultimately depends on the candidate's political opinions and ability to discuss and solve problems. "I will not fight a negative election." He continued to go all out and persisted until the end.