Taipei residents needs a new mayor with greater vision, former President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) said yesterday as he announced that he would campaign for the DPP's Taipei City mayoral candidate Lee Ying-yuan (李應元).
"Mayor Ma Ying-yeou (馬英九) has his own style but Lee's vision is much greater," the former president told reporters during a press conference yesterday to introduce his new book.
The former president claimed that during his tenure as Taipei mayor and that of the current president, Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), city residents came to regard a high level of administrative ability and a capacity for hard work as qualities basic to the mayor's job. Taipei residents now wanted something more than these qualities, they wanted a leader with vision, Lee said.
During the news conference to promote his new book, entitled Mercy and Forgiveness (寬容與慈悲), the former president voiced strong support to the DPP's candidate and also repeatedly suggested that incumbent mayor Ma had betrayed his political direction.
During the 1998 mayoral election, Lee, then the KMT chairman, personally campaigned for KMT candidate Ma, in his race against the then mayor, Chen Shui-bian. The former president endorsed Ma and praised him as a model for his idea of a "new Taiwanese" (新台灣人). At the time Ma pledged to follow Lee's political philosophy of democracy and reform.
Noting that his new book further fleshes out the idea of "being a new Taiwanese" Lee said that he would like to send a copy to Ma who seemed to have lost his "new Taiwanese" values.
"Though some friends oppose my campaigning for Mr. Lee [Ying-yuan], I will certainly attend his rally to show my support," the former president said.
Lee also said that if he had the opportunity to talk to Ma he would like to ask him: "Are you following my `new Taiwanese' direction?"
However, he stressed that in campaigning for Lee Ying-yuan, he would not just discuss past political issues but would advocate "new materials."
"Taipei City residents want something innovative," Lee said.
"I will prove that Lee Ying-yuan is the one they want," he said.
Talking about his new book, which is a collection of Lee's speeches and talks during his time as both the nation's and the KMT's leader.
The former president said that his method of coping with the challenges he faced in those years was to cultivate an attitude of tolerance and forgiveness.
"With this attitude, I could keep calm and rationally deal with the severe resistance of those who benefited from the KMT and to accept criticism from the country's conservatives when executing reforms during my 12-year presidency," Lee added.
Lee said that Taiwanese society needed to create a new fundamental philosophy, which would allow it to strengthen the spirit of localization.
Responding to the former president, Ma Ying-jeou said yesterday during a radio interview that he had loyally followed Lee's political direction.
"I never broke my promise to follow former president Lee's direction," Ma said.
"It is the way of democracy and reform and I am a `new Taiwanese,' who will make sacrifices for and contributions to Taiwan," the mayor said.
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