By Chris Wang / Staff Reporter
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday called for an end to the controversy surrounding a farmhouse owned by the wife of her presidential election running mate, Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), saying the case should be dealt with from a legal point of view.
Speaking at a presidential campaign stop in Chiayi, Tsai said the public discussions of the allegedly illegally built farmhouse had been blown out of proportion and violated the privacy of those involved.
Su has promised to deal with the farmhouse according to the law and some of the criticism has been overblown, she said.
Since Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) launched a series of attacks on Su and his family over the farmhouse and other alleged acts of misconduct last month, the controversy has clouded the Tsai campaign and shifted attention away from her 11-day campaign trip up the west coast.
Some DPP members have made public comments against Su, advising him to donate or dismantle the farmhouse and even divorce his wife, Hung Heng-chu (洪恆珠), the registered owner of the farmhouse, to keep the controversy from jeopardizing the DPP’s presidential campaign.
Others, including Su’s assistant Kuo Wen-bin (郭文彬), who described the incident as a “mudslinging political attack,” support the vice-presidential candidate’s decision to handle the issue in accordance with the law.
Su said in Nantou County yesterday that he would deal with the farmhouse as the law stipulates, since he had applied for a joint inspection by the Council of Agriculture and the Pingtung County Government.
The two government entities have been drawn into the controversy, as the council has been accused by the DPP for being vague on the matter and favoring the KMT, while the Pingtung County Government has been criticized by the KMT for “covering up” Su’s “illegal” act.
Following a second inspection, the Pingtung County Government reaffirmed to the council yesterday that the farmhouse was legal.
Meanwhile, Council Minister Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄) said in a legislative session that the house’s status of legality should be within the jurisdiction of the Pingtung County Government.