Taiwan Minister of Justice Luo Ying-shay has stoked further tensions between herself and Taiwanese lawmakers after using a government website as a platform for her opinions.

On Saturday evening, a 500-word Chinese essay titled, “One Should Not Point the Finger When One Is Wrong (自己錯了還怪人) ,” was published on the Chinese version of the Ministry of Justice website.

Luo criticized several members of the Legislative Yuan for their populist attitude when questioning her about the the Kenyan deportee case. She particularly focused on the New Power Party Legislator Hsu Yung-ming and Huang Kuo-chang.

The minister wrote in Chinese that lawmakers “act as if China is at the ministry’s beck and call, and have no regard for the time needed for bilateral negotiations… Such manipulation of populism is likely to have a disastrous effect on Taiwan. Please, lawmakers, if you truly love Taiwan, stop now before going too far. Give Taiwan a break.” (TNL has translated the excerpt into English)

Luo also elaborated on the cross-strait treaties regarding criminal justice and how negotiations were required before moving forward with evidence-sharing. This was in relation to the speed of the response and the ministry’s responsibility for the 53 Taiwanese deportees from Malaysia.

Taipei Times reports, Legislator Hsu responded saying that Luo’s “absurd stance” on China’s forced deportation of the 45 Taiwanese from Kenya made her into a “nationwide laughingstock.” This in turn drove calls for her to resign her post.

Before publishing her statement, Luo held several meetings with members of the Legislative Yuan. Tensions ran high over the Ministry of Justice’s speed and performance over the Kenyan and Malaysian deportation cases.

Netizens on PTT, Taiwan’s largest online forum, also criticized Luo’s statement. Complaints were made about the ministry’s incompetence and the conflict of interest in using a government website to post one’s opinion. On Facebook, the hashtags #LawInS*** and #自己錯了還怪人 have been used. There are also posts and comments full of sarcastic praise, aimed at the ineptitude of the Ma administration and the unfavorable conditions of cross-strait relations.

Since Sunday night, Luo’s article has received over 75,000 views. A press release on the ministry’s website typically would not attract more than 1,000 views.

Edited by Edward White

Sources:
Luo Ying-Shei’s Press Statement
Taipei Times
Focus Taiwan
China Post
Taipei Times
UDN