Lin I-hsiung (
"Since he has accomplished his goal of taking up the reins of the government and marginalizing the National Assembly, there is no other goal for him to struggle for [if he stays] in the position," said Lee Wang-tai (
"We all feel that Lin wants to leave at a good time," said Wu Nai-jen (
Lin entered the political stage as the DPP's chairman in 1998. However, it "was so hard in the beginning for him because he seemed not to mix well in the political pot," said Chen Chun-lin (陳俊麟), head of the DPP's Survey Center. "Lin is more of an activist than a politician so we can not judge him by political logic."
Unlike former chairman Hsu Hsin-liang (
However, these characteristics helped Lin lead the party to victory in the election and smooth conflicts between party factions.
The nomination of Chen Shui-bian (
When the DPP planned to nominate Chen Shui-bian as the party's presidential candidate, there was a problem regarding nomination regulations, Lee said.
Party regulations forbid candidates like Chen from running in another crucial election within four years of leaving a post. Chen lost the Taipei City Mayoral elections at the end of 1998.
"But, because Chen was the best DPP candidate for the public, Lin gathered faction leaders to draw up a specific clause for the 2000 election to fit Chen's case," Lee said.
The election result proved Lin's judgement was right.
"Lin's ability to coordinate DPP factions originated from his prestige and his selflessness. Therefore, everyone must listen to him even if they disagree with him," Wu Nai-jen said.
Lee, who worked with Lin for almost two years at the DPP headquarters said, "Lin always sets a spiritual goal to lead him forward."
Lin, born in 1941, began his political career in 1977 as an Ilan county councilor. Two years later came the Kaohsiung Incident (
President Chen Sui-bian was one of their defense counsels.
The "Lin Family Murders" (
"Lin suffered most among those who were involved in the Incident. But he is a rarity because he is free of enmity, unlike others among the Formosa generation," Wu said.
Lin's experiences and practices brought him praise. Some people even considered him "a Puritan."
But, by contrast, his lifestyle is not exactly that of a puritan, friends say, pointing out Lin's love of smoking, drinking and playing mah-jong.
Chen Chun-lin said that at one time he planned to quit his leading position -- after a failure in the legislative election in 1998 -- and his friends played Mah-jong with him to comfort him.
Those who know Lin well, however, caution that he is a deep and complicated man, whose thoughts and actions are difficult to predict, said Chen, who was trained by the Tzu-lin (
Lin has said, "I don't want to be seen as an unusual man, I feel good as a normal person."
If Lin really does quit his job it will be because "he wants to live the way he likes," Wu said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external