Everybody is happy because Chen Shui-bian, who stepped down as president on May 20, is suing General Chen Chao-min, minister of national defense sworn in on that day, for libel in connection with the mysterious shooting in Tainan on March 19, 2004.Special counsel prosecutors are glad they would be able to reopen the case, closed by a low-level colleague convinced by police that the shooting, which generated more than enough sympathy votes for President Chen to win reelection, was committed by an unemployed martial art coach who had personal grudges against the head of state and killed himself out of remorse ten days later.
General Chen said at his debut appearance at the Legislative Yuan the bullet found in the jacket of President Chen’s wasn’t fired on the spot where police said Chen Yi-hsiung, the “would-be” assassin, did on that fateful day.Of course, the former president has to sue the general, who served as his commander-in-chief of the air force and deputy defense minister.Not to do so is to admit what police concluded as an attempted assassination was in fact a stage-managed incident to win sympathy of voters.His supporters are glad he has another chance to vindicate himself, while his opponents are equally happy the investigation would lead to his indictment and eventual conviction.
The new investigation is sincerely welcome.As matter of fact, nobody was satisfied with the police conclusion, which a New York Times correspondent described as “the sort of story once found in dime store novels.” For the reason only they themselves know, the supporters of President Chen believe the police found the truth about the incident.Opponents have continued to believe the shooting was orchestrated by the ex-president himself.The Legislative Yuan, where the opposition alliance controlled a thin majority, created a special investigation committee for an independent inquiry like the Warren Commission that probed the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1967.The special committee, known popularly as the Truth Commission, was boycotted by the government and declared partially unconstitutional by the Council of Grand Justices.Another sincere effort has to be made to find out the truth about the March 19 shooting incident.
But we are afraid everybody would feel a great letdown when the prosecutors complete their new probe.The investigation will get nowhere with the best of help prosecutors may get, just as the boycotted Truth Commission did.A case like the March 19 shooting, in which Chen Shui-bian was superficially wounded, will long remain a mystery.The truth is that the truth will not out, no matter how hard investigators may try to find.But all of us may take comfort in the fact that we will be doing our level best to come to the truth but fail.
（本文刊載於97.05.26 China Post第4版，本文代表作者個人意見）
