Lee urging TSU to focus on economy

TSU lawmakers should now focus on economic issues, having already introduced a number of controversial topics in their debut legislative session, former president and TSU spiritual leader Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) told them yesterday.

"He told us he was very happy about our performance at the Legislative Yuan. Particularly, he said we have clearly expressed public opinion in the establishment of the pro-Taiwan principle," TSU lawmaker Su Ying-kwei (蘇盈貴) said after a banquet hosted by Lee in Taoyuan yesterday.

The 13 TSU lawmakers have drawn enormous media attention in the legislature since they took their oaths at the start of February by raising a number of controversial topics.

First they proposed halving the number of legislative seats, then suggested requiring presidential candidates be born in Taiwan. They have also suggested making Hokkien, Hakka and Aboriginal languages the nation's official languages.

Perhaps their biggest triumph was appearing to persuade the government to reconsider their recommendations on relaxing the ban on investing in eight-inch wafer foundries in China.

Now that they had established their "Taiwan first" path, Su said, the former president was urging them to move on and come up with measures to boost the nation's sluggish economy.

Lee apparently looked healthy and in good spirits during his first public appearance since the disclosure of two secret funds set up in the National Security Bureau during his presidency.

Touching on this topic, Lee told the attending lawmakers that he was in fact "happy" about the media's disclosure because it let the public know how much he had done for the country.

"I feel no qualms about the allegations. All the funds were used to secure diplomatic ties with other countries, which was done for the sake of the country," Lee was quoted as saying.

He also described as "a big joke" allegations made by PFP lawmaker Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) that Lee had embezzled national funds.

Liu had said the money was then wired into accounts belonging to Lee's relatives.

"He said that all the facts, including the bank and the dates when the money was transferred, cited by the PFP lawmaker were inaccurate," Su said.

"He said the money in question was that of his relatives and that it has nothing to do with him."