President Ma Ying-jeou met with Transparency International Chair Huguette Labelle and ranking officials of the organization's Taiwan branch office on the afternoon of April 23 at the Presidential Office. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), welcomed Ms. Labelle to Taiwan and re-affirmed the administration's determination to crack down on corruption and promote clean government.
The president noted that Ms. Labelle is Canadian, but that the headquarters of Transparency International, which was founded in the early 1990s, is in Berlin. The president said that the first time he visited the website of the organization was when he was still learning how to use the Internet. This marked the first step in building a relationship with Transparency International, he said. President Ma said that when he served as Justice Minister he paid close attention to the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) issued by the organization. When the CPI was first released, Taiwan was ranked 25th among over 40 nations, which was the best placing that Taiwan has ever received. In the year that he left the Ministry of Justice, some 60-70 countries were included in the assessment and Taiwan ranked 29th. President Ma commented that Taiwan's ranking last year fell to 39th, which he said was in part to the corruption cases now under investigation. He said he is closely monitoring the situation and hopes to work together with the Taiwan branch of Transparency International in order to reduce the level of corruption here.
The president said he first engaged in cooperation with the Taiwan branch when he was Taipei City Mayor. At the time, investigations were carried out and the efforts were extremely beneficial in cracking down on corruption and promoting clean government. Therefore, after he assumed the presidency he immediately asked the Ministry of Justice to draft standards and norms of ethical behavior in order to lay the groundwork for clean government. President Ma said he believes that Chinese culture has long emphasized clean and honest government. When Ji Kangzi 2,500 years ago asked Confucius about governing, Confucius replied, "Governance is setting things aright. If you lead with uprightness, who will dare not to be upright?" The president said this theory can still be applied today, as a person in office should set the standard against corruption through example. President Ma expressed his regret that the government over the past several years has not lived up to the expectations of the public. While these events took place before he assumed the presidency, he said that he cannot shirk responsibility and must work to thoroughly address these problems. President Ma said he hopes that Ms. Labelle will exchange opinions with Taiwan officials and agencies during her visit, helping to enhance the foundation here to engage in anti-corruption efforts.
Ms. Labelle expressed her appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his schedule to meet with her. In addition to praising President Ma for his understanding of Transparency International, she also said eliminating corruption requires a strong civil society and powerful leader. She said that President Ma's commitment to fighting corruption and support for reform has left a deep impression on her. Ms. Labelle said she is confident that Taiwan's work in this regard will result in a better performance in the future.