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Liu coy about premiership speculation

“[Liu] has a lot of experience in government. I think he’s more of a technocrat. To my recollection, he has no political enemies at all. ”

George Tsai, professor at Chinese Culture University

Soochow University president Liu Chao-Shiuan (劉兆玄) kept a low profile yesterday amid reports that he had accepted president-elect Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) invitation to serve as premier.

Liu, who served as vice premier in former president Lee Teng-hui’s (李登輝) administration — alongside vice president-elect Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), who served as premier — is a long-time adviser to Ma.

Liu said that he would not comment on the matter until Ma had formally announced his Cabinet line up.

“I respect Mr Ma’s right to form the new Cabinet and I think he will make a formal announcement at the right time,” Liu said yesterday when approached by reporters.

Chinese-language newspapers including the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) and the China Times, reported that Ma had visited Liu several times since the presidential election and had invited him to take the premiership.

Ma also considered Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp executive director Ou Chin-der (歐晉德) for the position before deciding on Liu as the new premier, the reports said.

Ma declined to comment on the reports yesterday. His spokesman Luo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said the president-elect would not answer questions about the Cabinet until its members had been formally announced.

KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) yesterday lauded Liu as an appropriate candidate, adding that he would respect Ma’s final decision.

After serving as vice premier, Liu became a close aide to former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰).

Holder of a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Toronto in Canada, Liu returned to academia after the KMT lost power to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the presidential election in 2000.

“He has a lot of experience in government,” said George Tsai (蔡瑋), a political science professor at Chinese Culture University in Taipei. “I think he’s more of a technocrat. To my recollection, he has no political enemies at all.”

Although the appointment is yet to be confirmed, several KMT legislators were upbeat about the possibility of having Liu as the next premier.

KMT caucus acting Secretary-General Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said the government would benefit from his administrative experience with Liu as the premier.

Asked to comment, KMT Legislator Shyu Jong-shyoung (徐中雄) said if Liu becomes premier, his experience as deputy premier would help ensure a smooth administrative transition.

KMT Legislator Chu Fong-chi (朱鳳芝) shared Shyu’s views.

“He [Liu] has served as vice premier and he has a good public image. He is the most appropriate candidate for the premiership,” Chu said.

KMT Legislator Lo Ming-tsai (羅明才) praised Liu, saying that his sophistication and low profile would be a bonus for the incoming administration.

Meanwhile, the DPP legislative caucus yesterday said Ma had chosen Liu for premier only because of their close relationship.

“As he is a long-time Ma supporter, I am not surprised that Liu would be chosen as the new premier,” DPP caucus whip William Lai (賴清德) said. “We expect the new premier to carry out Ma’s campaign promises.”

Lai said reinvigorating the economy and preventing black-gold politics from resurfacing were the most important priorities for the new premier. He said he respected Ma and his ability to choose the right person for the job.

“No matter who becomes the new premier, we DPP lawmakers will do our jobs to make sure that new Cabinet members do not misbehave,” Lai said.

Meanwhile, Ma’s spokesman yesterday urged local media to stop carrying stories about his and his family’s life. Ma are annoyed by recent coverage about their private lives, especially reports that have nothing to do with public affairs,” Luo said at KMT headquarters.

Some outlets have carrying stories detailing the private lives of Ma and his family members since he won the presidential election.

Additional reporting by Flora Wang, Jimmy Chuang

and agencies
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