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S.Korea political upheaval shows global democracy's fragility - and resilienceThe Yomiuri Shimbun 2:00 JST, November 25, 2024 Ruling and opposition parties are set to begin negotiations on revising the Political Funds Control Law as early as this week, but wide gaps remain over the issue of political donations from companies and organizations. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is calling for maintaining the donations, while the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan wants them abolished. Due to such significant policy differences, the parties may prioritize bringing about what they can agree on — such as getting rid of the political activity funds that are given to individual lawmakers by parties — and shelve the issue of donations from companies and organizations. “I have doubts about the [LDP’s] stance of not putting the matter on the table,” said CDPJ President Yoshihiko Noda at a press conference on Friday. Noda was criticizing the LDP for not including the abolition of donations from companies and organizations in its draft proposal for political reform. The CDPJ is seeking to halt donations from companies and organizations as a pillar of its political reform effforts. Party Secretary General Junya Ogawa has called such contributions a “hotbed for corruption.” Japan Innovation Party Secretary General Fumitake Fujita also expressed his willingness to discuss stopping such donations. “The CDPJ is keen on this point, so we believe we should move forward on it,” Fujita said at a news conference on Thursday. However, the LDP insists that donations from companies and organizations should be maintained, on the grounds of a 1970 Supreme Court ruling involving political contributions from Yawata Iron & Steel Co. The judgement stated that a private firm is generally free to make political donations. In a news conference on Tuesday, LDP Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama said that his party is not trying to prevent companies from voluntarily making donations as part of their contributions to society. There were no calls to halt such donations at a general meeting of the party’s political reform headquarters on Thursday. Tetsuo Saito, leader of the LDP’s junior coalition partner Komeito, said at a news conference on Nov. 16 that his party would not suffer even if donations from companies and organizations were abolished, because Komeito does not receive any. But Saito went on to say that it would be better to discuss the issue through an envisaged third-party organ. “If it is discussed among politicians, it will develop into debates involving tense political battles,” he said. Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the Democratic Party for the People, said that he does not oppose the abolition of such donations if “it is agreed upon by all the party members.” But he also showed some understanding toward maintaining the system. “It’s worth considering setting an upper limit,” Tamaki said at a press conference on Nov. 12. Currently, the total amount of donations per year is limited to ¥7.5 million to ¥100 million, depending on companies’ capital stock and other conditions. Tamaki is apparently thinking about lowering the upper limit. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who also serves as LDP president, hopes to see swift action at least in the areas where parties would be able to agree, such as the abolition of political activity funds. Ishiba thinks it would be difficult to bridge the gap among parties concerning donations from companies and organizations, and has reportedly told close aides that it would be “impossible within the year” for the parties to agree on the issue. Within the CDPJ, some members are taking a hardline position, saying that negotiations will break down if no progress is made on stopping donations from companies and organizations. However, one veteran member said, “We need to achieve results in some areas that can be reformed.” There seems to be a war of nerves going on between ruling and opposition parties.By JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — An elaborate parody appears to be behind an effort to resurrect Enron, the Houston-based energy company that exemplified the worst in American corporate fraud and greed after it went bankrupt in 2001. If its return is comedic, some former employees who lost everything in Enron’s collapse aren’t laughing. “It’s a pretty sick joke and it disparages the people that did work there. And why would you want to even bring it back up again?” said former Enron employee Diana Peters, who represented workers in the company’s bankruptcy proceedings. Here’s what to know about the history of Enron and the purported effort to bring it back. Once the nation’s seventh-largest company, Enron filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 2, 2001, after years of accounting tricks could no longer hide billions of dollars in debt or make failing ventures appear profitable. The energy company’s collapse put more than 5,000 people out of work, wiped out more than $2 billion in employee pensions and rendered $60 billion in Enron stock worthless. Its aftershocks were felt throughout the energy sector. Twenty-four Enron executives , including former CEO Jeffrey Skilling , were eventually convicted for their roles in the fraud. Enron founder Ken Lay’s convictions were vacated after he died of heart disease following his 2006 trial. On Monday — the 23rd anniversary of the bankruptcy filing — a company representing itself as Enron announced in a news release that it was relaunching as a “company dedicated to solving the global energy crisis.” It also posted a video on social media, advertised on at least one Houston billboard and a took out a full-page ad in the Houston Chronicle In the minute-long video that was full of generic corporate jargon, the company talks about “growth” and “rebirth.” It ends with the words, “We’re back. Can we talk?” Enron’s new website features a company store, where various items featuring the brand’s tilted “E” logo are for sale, including a $118 hoodie. In an email, company spokesperson Will Chabot said the new Enron was not doing any interviews yet, but that “We’ll have more to share soon.” Signs point to the comeback being a joke. In the “terms of use and conditions of sale” on the company’s website, it says “the information on the website about Enron is First Amendment protected parody, represents performance art, and is for entertainment purposes only.” Documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office show that College Company, an Arkansas-based LLC, owns the Enron trademark. The co-founder of College Company is Connor Gaydos, who helped create a joke conspiracy theory that claims all birds are actually surveillance drones for the government. Peters said that since learning about the “relaunch” of Enron, she has spoken with several other former employees and they are also upset by it. She said the apparent stunt was “in poor taste.” “If it’s a joke, it’s rude, extremely rude. And I hope that they realize it and apologize to all of the Enron employees,” Peters said. Peters, who is 74 years old, said she is still working in information technology because “I lost everything in Enron, and so my Social Security doesn’t always take care of things I need done.” “Enron’s downfall taught us critical lessons about corporate ethics, accountability, and the consequences of unchecked ambition. Enron’s legacy was the employees in the trenches. Leave Enron buried,” she said. Follow Juan A. Lozano on X at https://x.com/juanlozano70wow888 pro login 。

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