In Taipei
"I WISH he could vanish from the face of Earth."
These harsh words, targeted at former Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian, came from none other than pro-independence figure Ng Chiau-tong, one of Mr Chen's former advisers and staunchest suppporters.
Over the past few days, stunned supporters of the former Taiwanese leader have watched in disbelief as money-laundering allegations implicating Mr Chen and his family unfolded. For those who have stood by the former president despite charges that he pocketed some NT$14.8 million in official funds, Mr Chen's admission last week that his wife transferred some US$21 million overseas was the last straw that eroded whatever remaining trust they had in him.
His confession came after news broke that the Swiss federal prosecutors had alerted Taiwan's judicial authorities to suspicious transactions involving Swiss bank accounts kept by his son and daughter-in-law. Mr Chen had earlier denied media reports on overseas bank accounts kept by his family members. But he was forced to come clean after an opposition lawmaker made public the letter from the Swiss authorities, which contained details on how massive funds were moved from one overseas account to another.
Mr Chen has insisted that the money came from political donations for his past campaigns, and were not ill-gotten funds that he embezzled from the government coffers, as his critics had alleged. But for his disillusioned supporters, the mere act of secretly stashing his funds in overseas banks was a betrayal of his past vows of being a true, loyal Taiwanese who would never abandon the island.
Hence, it came as no surprise that the harshest criticism came from his staunchest supporters after the scandal broke. His former deputy Annette Lu criticised him as "too stupid, too greedy", while a grassroot supporter said he should "kill himself or at least kneel and beg for forgiveness". Some usually outspoken lawmakers from his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) were simply too stunned or shamed for words. His decision to quit the DPP would do little to minimise the damage done to the beleaguered party, which is struggling to regain the support of Taiwanese.
Others lamented how Mr Chen - once hailed as the "son of Taiwan" for working his way up from a poor farmer's son to Taiwan's top man - has sadly ended up as the "shame of Taiwan".
As the probe widens, more dirt will be thrown up. The case has already embroiled top judiciary officials suspected of holding up investigations into the money-laundering allegations and allowing Mr Chen's son and daughter-in-law to leave for the United States just days before the scandal broke.
The jury may be still out on whether Mr Chen is indeed guilty as charged, but the Taiwanese public have passed their verdict.