The political circus goes into overdrive.
I am not saying that Chen is a completely innocent martyr. It seems probable that he engaged in shady financial behavior. Nevertheless, in the hyper-politicized atmosphere of Taiwan right now, the Chen indictment is not only about one private individual and his possible crimes. The indictment applies also to his family.
The whole thing comes with the nasty smell of politics, and the ongoing island-internal wrangles about Ma and his KMT (the latest outrage is here) is a volatile context that freights every single move first in the Chen arrest, now in the indictment and later legal process with immense ramifications. Overdetermination? The entire Chen saga is certainly divisive.
The Time commentary says that the entire affair is "a mixed bag for Taiwan democracy." You don't say!
The entire mess has damaged the reputation of Chen's DPP, which is the main opposition to the KMT. And goodness knows that the KMT needs a vibrant and healthy opposition!
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