Editorial: Farewell to a soldier-politician

Outsiders have held out few prospects for a long-lived Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁)-Tang Fei (唐飛) administration. Tang himself was keenly aware of the fundamental differences between Chen and himself on a wide range of issues: the DPP's stance on the independence-unification debate, the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and ethnic problems. Though a KMT member for decades, Tang did not enjoy his party's support in the premier's seat. In light of this, Tang's willingness to accompany Chen and jump into the pit of fire has made him very much a tragic hero.

Since he underwent surgery for a chest tumor in April, Tang's recovery has been less than ideal. It took drugs and considerable endurance for him to handle the many affairs of the state. Tang had been dedicated to and serious about his job, but there are many factors beyond the control of the Executive Yuan.

The stock market has fallen from 9,000 to below 6,000. Traditional share prices have fallen so low that they are now being called "dumpling" or "egg" shares -- the price of each share being approximately the same as those items. Rumors abound in the business circles about a domestic financial crisis.

Also, government efficiency has not improved as much as expected. The Pachang Creek (八掌溪) incident laid bare the bureaucratic attitudes latent in the government system. Reconstruction of areas hit by the 921 Earthquake has not won sympathy from quake victims desperate to see the government's plans implemented.

The Chen-Tang administration had tried to use "government for all the people" as a slogan to break the shackles of party politics -- but this only resulted in endless conflicts with the KMT and the PFP. Tang kept his distance from the DPP, thereby ensuring that relations between the Cabinet and the DPP remained tense. DPP secretary-general Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) finally turned his guns on the Cabinet, saying it was keeping the ruling party out of the policy-making process. Wu's accusations made many people feel even more pessimistic about the future of Tang's government.

Tang and Chen have maintained their mutual respect for each other. Chen has publicly praised Tang for his performance and thanked him for jumping into the line of fire for the new government. However, the two differed fundamentally -- in their backgrounds and ideologies -- differences that are difficult to smooth over. Also, the semi-presidential design of Taiwan's Constitution did not help the interaction between them. The premier was often caught in an awkward position between the president and his Cabinet members, making it difficult for the Chen-Tang administration to carry on.

And Tang wasn't particularly keen about holding onto the premier's post. Since taking office, Tang had asked the president seven times to let him resign. The media had also criticized him, saying he did not take his job seriously and therefore couldn't possibly do a good job. Even though anyone can easily guess that the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant row was the immediate cause of his resignation, Tang magnanimously said that he was resigning for health reasons, saving Chen's government considerable face.

Tang may have resigned with a regret that he had not been able to do much for political and economic construction in the short four months he was in office. But he has certainly played an important stabilizing role in the peaceful transition of political power. Tang may have set a record for being Taiwan's shortest-serving premier, but he has also accomplished a mission in this transition. Tang stood firm on his personal ideas, but he also took care to save the president face.