Even after he was arrested on charges of sedition, Lee remained calm. "To all dissidents worldwide, it's easier to be put in prison than be insulted for your beliefs," Lee wrote in a September 1991 newspaper article, two weeks after his arrest.
"I found myself composed and considered life in prison bearable as it was the result of staying true to my beliefs," Lee wrote.
A suitable candidate
In 1995, Lee was elected as a legislator for the first time. For the following five years, he was a member of the Foreign Relations Committee at the Legislative Yuan. In April 1999, Lee joined a government delegation to Macedonia to deliver medical and humanitarian aid to that country. After Chen's victory in March, Lee traveled to New York and Washington, as part of a team representing the new administration, to brief members of congress about Taiwan's election. Lee also joined the president last month on his tour of Taiwan's six diplomatic allies in Central America and Africa.
When the president offered Lee the position as deputy representative to the US, insiders said Chen's choice came as no surprise. "Within the DPP, he is a well-qualified candidate in terms of his personality and his special interest in foreign affairs," said KMT spokesman Jason Hu (胡志強), a former minister of foreign affairs and himself a former representative to the US.
WUFI Chairman Ng Chiau-tong (
"I believe he can effectively combine both the diplomacy conducted by civil groups and that carried out by the government representative office," Ng said.
Huang echoed Ng's view. "People sometimes find it hard to persuade hard-liners [that Taiwan should be independent], but Lee's association with the WUFI may help him get the job done. While the WUFI was once a liability for him, it now turns out to be an asset," she said.
Challenges ahead
But Lee knows the challenges that lie ahead. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the most conservative government agency in Taiwan where many officials simply stick to obsolete ideas. And this is exactly why we need people like Lee to work among these traditional diplomats," said Ng.
Hu said it's unlikely Lee would have any major problems working with the team as he is "a man of great pragmatism and enthu-siasm."
Hu believes Lee's greatest challenge will be working within the new administration, which Hu said is still groping in the dark.
"He has never worked with the government. And his greatest challenge will be working with a team that lacks coordination and sense of direction," Hu predicted.
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