Brian Hioeby Brian Hioe
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Photo Credit: Sra Kacaw/Facebook
KMT LEGISLATOR Sra Kacaw is facing indictment over taking 7.11 million NT in bribes between 2020 and 2023. Prosecutors are reportedly seeking over ten years in jail for him, on violations of the Anti-Corruption Act and the Money Laundering Control Act.
Sra Kacaw, who is Amis, is one of the KMT’s best-known Indigenous legislators. Along with pan-Blue independent Kao Chin Su-mei, who is Atayal, Sra Kacaw has fronted many of the KMT’s Indigenous policies in recent years.
Most prominent of these is gutting the budget for the Council of Indigenous Peoples, so that serving on the Council of Indigenous Peoples was no longer a paid role. The change drastically weakens the ability of Indigenous politicians to represent their communities, seeing as only those already of means will be able to serve on the Council of Indigenous Peoples. The move is seen as an effort to target the institution in retribution for that it is no longer solely under KMT control. As the legal changes also legally enshrined the distinction between “Mountains Indigenous” and “Plains Indigenous,” the move was also criticized by Indigenous civic groups as perpetuating and institutionalizing an arbitrary colonial imposition.
Sra Kacaw was previously detained and had his offices searched in August 2024 for questioning by prosecutors in connection with the corruption charges. He was later released on 2 million NT bail.
The legal case against Sra Kacaw is noteworthy. Through intermediaries, who were in charge of collecting bribes, Sra Kacaw is accused of appointing nine business representatives as “special assistants.” Through their ostensible connection with him, these business representatives could then use their influence to pressure government agencies into complying with their will. The nine businessmen were in the fields of customs brokerage, green energy, and real estate.
It is not uncommon in Taiwan to see politicians facing charges for receiving bribes or kickbacks in return for using their influence to pressure administrative government agencies to approve certain projects. However, the charges faced by Sra Kacaw are notable as they stand at the intersection of a number of political issues in Taiwan currently.
In particular, the KMT has leaned heavily into attacks on the DPP over green energy. Green energy is depicted as an untested, newfangled, and potentially hazardous form of energy in comparison to nuclear energy. The suggestion is that DPP presidential administrations, such as the Lai and Tsai administrations, are only interested in pushing for green energy because of illicit links to green energy companies. Such claims draw on a lack of social awareness in Taiwan of global shifts toward green energy and a sustainable energy transition. But, as the corruption charges against Sra Kacaw show, members of the KMT evidently accept bribes from green energy companies.
Likewise, mere weeks earlier, the KMT saw controversy over a bill that would have made legislators not need invoices for subsidies meant for hiring legislative assistants and paying for their expenses. The bill was accused of creating an easy pathway for corruption. Specifically, one of the most common categories of corruption cases in Taiwan is when legislators embezzle funds that were meant to hire legislative assistants, often by hiring friends or relatives as assistants.
The bill was framed as a measure aimed at streamlining legislative processes. But outrage over the bill was immediate, with a number of KMT legislative assistants angered by the bill as denigrating their profession, worsening the public image of legislative assistants, and doing little for their labor rights.
Indeed, that Sra Kacaw appointed businessmen as “special assistants”, rather than directly using his own influence to pressure government bureaus, links the corruption charges he faces to the scandal. It is to be seen how the public reacts to the scandal, but particularly after gutting the Council of Indigenous Peoples, it is likely that Indigenous civic groups will be unsympathetic. Moreover, the case gestures at the long history of KMT corruption, cronyism, and clientelism in Indigenous communities in Taiwan, especially in rural settlements.