Lien's attack on Lee a desperate act, TSU says

KMT Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) marginal status within his own party provoked him to strike out yesterday against former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) according to TSU lawmakers.

The lawmakers made the statements after hearing Lien's comments before the Washington-based National Press Club on TV yesterday.

They said Chan was unwise to call Lee a "figure pass?," after Lien himself was so soundly defeated in the presidential election in 2000.

Another purpose of the speech, according to the lawmakers, was to regain the attention of party leaders who will have to decide who will carry the KMT banner in the next presidential election. At this point, Lien's chances of doing so are extremely slim, the lawmakers said.

Lien told the American audience that Lee's influence on the nation's politics has been continually diminishing and that his ties to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) are built upon "convenience."

"[Lee's] time is gone, for the KMT and for the Republic of China. He's pass?, increasingly more and more irrelevant," Lien said.

"I don't know if it can be called friendship [referring to the Chen-Lee relationship], it can be called, maybe, a marriage of convenience."

Lien's acrimonious speech toward Lee has created a national political stir.

TSU lawmakers dubbed Lien a "dumb and helpless" politician to make such statements overseas, given that Lee is a respected statesman who is lauded within the international community.

They said Lien is a "mediocre leader who only knows how to attack others," but lacks the ability to examine himself.

"The KMT progressed a great deal under Lee's leadership. In contrast, under Lien's management the party is declining at full speed" said TSU lawmaker Chien Lin Whei-jun (錢林慧君).

"It is true that Lee's time in the KMT is over, but his time for Taiwan will never be gone. The result of the legislative election [last December] proved that Lee still enjoys great popularity in Taiwan."

She urged Lien to follow the spirit of democracy, acknowledge his defeat in the election, examine his own weaknesses and move on.

Lee Shang-ren (李先仁), director of the TSU's policy center, said Lien has apparently lost his composure after realizing that there is little or no chance of him running again for president.

Speculation within political circles is that the KMT will tap Speaker of the Legislative Yuan Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to vie for the presidency in 2004.

Lee was silent on the matter at a meeting for Taiwan Advocates, a think tank he heads, yesterday.

After Lien's humiliating defeat in the presidential election in 2000, he and Lee went their separate ways. Lien came in a distant third and the DPP took power, completing the first transfer of power in Taiwan's history.

Lien blames Lee for not campaigning hard enough for him and was convinced that Lee had thrown his weight behind DPP candidate Chen.

Last September, Lee was expelled by the KMT for helping create the TSU, which grabbed 13 seats in its debut performance in legislative elections last year. In the same contest, the KMT lost control of the legislature for the first time.