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2004 presidential election when the Commission failed to maintain its integrity and even-
handed manner in electoral procedures and created a series of political controversies prior
to the election.
Beside official appointments and nominations, state owned enterprises, government
sponsored trust funds, and financial institutions offered opportunities for the DPP’s
“green fingers” to nurture its influence. With its regulatory and licensing authority and
stock share holdings, the government demanded the board of governors be restructured to
reflect the change of regimes. At a quick glance, it was unmistakably a blunt pursuit of
power and wealth, a revelation of qui pro quo of political support and economic reward,
and a strategic positioning of their “own” people to guard and secure vital resources from
the opposition parties. After all, the loss of the election implies not only the loss of
governance, but also the loss of the control of social ethos interpretation and
manipulation. Therefore, regime change meant substantial changes everywhere—being
“green” in ideological inclination matters greatly.
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Media became another crucial area for cultural transformation. Unsurprisingly, pro-
green figures would be logical choices to place in charge of major TV networks, in which
the government has a lion’s share of the investment. Once placed in charge, there is no
need to offer specific and detailed guidelines. The authority of personnel hiring and
promotion becomes a legitimate tool to ensure subordinates expedite the transmission of
political messages. Abundant resources originally intended for policy propagation to
facilitate policy implementation in budgetary design could be shifted subtly for self-
promotion in the name of public education. The control of public media could be an
intrusion into the public sphere. Publicized cases include the wrestling between pro-
Convention