Source: Global Times
[Global Times Special Correspondent Cheng Dong] Hsinchu Mayor Lin Zhijian, a confidant of Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen and running for mayor of Taoyuan on behalf of the Democratic Progressive Party, has been in constant turmoil. The "escape" controversy has not yet subsided. Suspected plagiarism in papers has caused a stir. Two plagiarism cases have also been reported at once, which may severely damage the Democratic Progressive Party's election.
The Democratic Progressive Party's "full escort"
Lin Zhijian has been recruited to represent the Democratic Progressive Party in the Taoyuan mayoral election at the end of this year. He was originally scheduled to resign as Hsinchu mayor on the 8th to devote himself entirely to the Taoyuan election. Unexpectedly, the papers for the two master's degrees he held were both suspected of plagiarism.
Lin Zhijian, who was born in May 1975, is deeply trusted by Tsai Ing-wen and is known as the "Little British Boy". After he fell into suspicion of plagiarism, the Democratic Progressive Party began to come to his rescue. Su Tseng-chang, Taiwan's "Executive President", said on the evening of the 6th that he was a victim of electoral smear campaign. Instead of taking this as a warning, the vicious election culture only worsened. The Taoyuan mayoral election should allow voters to test political debates and the visions of all parties. This is a healthy electoral culture. DPP Secretary-General Lin Xiyao said in an interview that the Kuomintang probably felt that Lin Zhijian was too strong.
The DPP’s actions cannot eliminate the doubts on the island. Lin Shifeng, a pharmacist, said on Facebook that it was okay to let someone copy the paper, even the typos. "It's not such a coincidence." Senior media person Zhao Shaokang criticized Lin Zhijian for running away as mayor of Hsinchu before his term was completed, which damaged his credibility. Now both papers are involved in plagiarism, and even typos are copied and pasted, which involves integrity and academic ethics. Lin should show his responsibility and resign as mayor of Taoyuan. . Ling Tao, a candidate for Taoyuan City Council of the Kuomintang, sarcastically said that Lin Zhijian’s two papers had problems. Compared with Tsai Ing-wen’s papers, which have not been seen for 30 years, “only Xiaoying boys can surpass Xiaoying.”
Fear of dragging down the Democratic Progressive Party's election results
Lin Baochun, a retired professor at Taiwan Normal University, said that Chung Hwa University is a private university that politicians in Hsinchu like to gild, and the Lin Zhijian thesis incident is a typical "political-scientific collusion" in Taiwanese society - politicians borrowed Scholars accumulate political capital by "washing their academic qualifications", and scholars use politicians to gain resources in the hope that one day they can "satisfy their official addiction". This reflects Taiwanese voters' obsession with political stars and academic qualifications, as well as the increasing degradation of the academic community. He said that Lin Zhijian, who has always portrayed a smart, capable and talented young man in the media, is very likely to return to his original form, but the DPP will do its best to protect him and even exert political pressure. Can Taiwan's academic community maintain its academic status? Character, "just watch this show."
"Legislator Congressional Office Director" Huang Shi'an wrote an article on the 6th that politicians use high education to create a positive image and perfect personality to attract voters and increase their chances of winning elections. The school is not only happy to earn more tuition income, but can also recruit politicians to serve as alumni or "doorkeepers" in order to obtain more resources or subsidies for the school in the future. The interests and harms of both parties coexist, resulting in numerous cases of abuse. Lianhe News Network said that the "essay scandal" is a cover-up for many politicians, and even Tsai Ing-wen is not immune. When it comes to crisis management, Lin Zhijian can be called a "rising star" of the Democratic Progressive Party, but when it comes to integrity, "From abandoning Hsinchu for Taoyuan, to the serial plagiarism of papers, this politician is still able to jump around and play both sides. It's really It leaves one speechless.”
Taiwan's "China Times" stated on the 6th that whether Lin Zhijian's paper was suspected of plagiarism, Taiwan's "Ministry of Education" stated that the school should complete the investigation within 4 months from the day after receiving the report. The calculated time is approximately " It's time to vote in the "Nine-in-One" election. "If plagiarism is verified by then, not only will Lin Zhijian be embarrassed, but it may also drag down the DPP's election."
"Little British Boy" caused controversy
A commentary published by Taiwanese media on July 3 said that although the year-end election is still a "green, blue and white" local dispute, it is obviously the "last battle" for Tsai Ing-wen to hold power in office. After this battle, Tsai Ing-wen will officially enter the countdown to the transfer or "loss" of power. Over the past six months or so, it has become clear that Tsai Ing-wen still wants to leave something in the Democratic Progressive Party, and the specific method is to promote a group of "little British boys" to embed themselves in the ranks of the ruling power.
The Democratic Progressive Party passed special regulations on the nomination of county mayors at the end of this year last year. Except for Pingtung, which holds intra-party primaries, the final nomination rights of other counties and cities are in the hands of Tsai Ing-wen. Looking at the six major "municipalities", in addition to Taoyuan's Lin Zhijian, including the nominated Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai, Tainan Mayor Huang Weizhe, and Taichung mayoral candidate Tsai Chi-chang, almost all of them are so-called "little British boys" who have close relations with Tsai Ing-wen. . If you add in the popular candidates for Taipei mayor Chen Shizhong and New Taipei City's Luo Chi-cheng, they are all Tsai Ing-wen's people.
United News Network said that DPP candidates are not only looking for ability, but also closeness to Tsai Ing-wen. "The caring eyes of senior leaders" have become the key to qualifying. "Tsai Ing-wen confiscated the primary election, and the power of checks and balances within the party Almost castrated, the whole party is too obsessed with staying in power, but has forgotten the original intention of entering politics. This is the greatest harm to Taiwan's democracy."
