TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) and its Chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) are embroiled in scandals related to corruption, political donations, and party finances, Ko gave a presser on Sunday (Aug. 18) to discuss party reforms. 

Amid investigations into campaign officials and companies connected to the TPP, there have been calls for Ko’s then-campaign director and current Legislator Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊) to take responsibility for the financial oversights and resign from office. On Sunday, Ko responded that Huang would not be asked to leave the party or her office as legislator, but instead tasked with overseeing and implementing the new slate of reforms, reported CNA. 

Ko said he went to the TPP headquarters on Saturday (Aug. 17) to review accounts and donation information. He said the party is still in the midst of a review of the party’s finances over the past year, and that it is about a third complete. 

He said the party must learn from its mistakes and that they are preparing to implement a series of reforms. 

The first major problem that plagued the party during the 2024 presidential election, Ko said, was the lack of a well-staffed supervisory committee to monitor donations and expenditures. Previously, the party only had one or two people inconsistently looking over these records, and Ko pledged to remedy this moving forward. 

Another major reform proposed by Ko was to adopt a more sophisticated electronic accounting system for the TPP, per CNA. Ko alleged that many financial oversights resulted from poor record-keeping, which only used paper documents for many donations and expenses, leading to several numerical errors. 

The TPP also plans to hire a team of lawyers on retainer to help ensure their financial activity remains legal and transparent. Ko said that previously the party hired lawyers by recommendation on an ad hoc basis, which was not enough. 

Finally, Ko said the party would establish a better internal system of standard operating procedures to deal with emergencies, per CNA. He added a dedicated crisis response team would be better prepared to recognize the source of problems like the current scandals.  

In response to calls for Legislator Huang Shan-shan to resign, Ko said he “told her that the easiest path was to just resign and leave.” However, he explained that making her responsible for the aftermath and implementing these reforms is the most appropriate way for her to take responsibility for the violations and oversights.  

Despite the current controversy, Ko expressed confidence the TPP would remain relevant in Taiwan’s domestic politics. Ko said he still believed the TPP would help to transform Taiwan for the better.