The government will crack down on bribery and violence to create a clean and fair environment for the year-end elections, pledged Premier Jiang Yi-huah at the Executive Yuan public security meeting today.
The November 29 election event will be the largest in Taiwan's history, said the Central Election Commission. Across the country, 11,130 public servants will be chosen for nine categories of local government offices.
"The election system is the cornerstone of democracy, which is why we must stamp out bribery and violence to ensure the fairness of elections," indicated Jiang.
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) must ensure that prosecutors, police officers, investigators and civil service ethics officials work together and execute their plans for combating the illicit activities, the premier said. The Financial Supervisory Commission, National Communications Commission, Council of Agriculture and other agencies were also asked to help create a clean and fair election environment.
Jiang cautioned that any impropriety in the inspection of election activities may be misconstrued as undue influence or being politically motivated. Law enforcement officials must remain fair and neutral in their conduct, abide strictly by all procedures, and carry out their work without any degree of bias. The premier instructed the MOJ and MOI to defend the government's credibility by offering immediate clarifications to untruthful allegations or reports.
At the meeting, the MOI also reported on its preparations for public safety ahead of the nine-in-one elections. Aside from ensuring the safety of the public, Jiang said, law enforcement must also protect the candidates, their campaign offices and residences, as well as maintain order at the ballot casting and counting venues. The MOI said the National Police Agency (NPA) has made careful plans for the entire election process, from the campaigning phase to election day to after the results are announced. Jiang asked the MOI and the NPA oversee the police departments to prepare properly and respond promptly to any contingencies.
Nowadays, it is common for people to assemble quickly and in large numbers during election campaigns, Premier Jiang said. If two opposing candidates are holding campaign activities in close proximity and around the same time, the NPA should see to it that the police maintain a safe distance between the different campaigns and prevent any clashes to ensure a safe and fair election.