In April of 1998, Liao Cheng-hao (
"Election has never been part of my life plan," he said at the time.
A law professor at present, Liao has kept his word.
On Tuesday, the 55-year-old ex-justice chief startled politicians by declining the joint invitation from the PFP and KMT to run in the year-end race for Taipei County Commissioner.
"Is participating in political activities the only way to serve the country?" Liao asked rhetorically, in a written statement published before he formally declined the invitation.
Uncertainties surrounding how the mooted cooperation would actually work were also a concern of Liao's.
"Although bipartisan cooperation [between the KMT and PFP in the year-end elections] represents the consensus at the party leadership level, how the idea will be put into practice is unclear given the dissonant views at the grassroots level," Liao later said in an interview.
Liao's decision has sparked outcry from both parties, who have accused him of "wavering" and "putting on airs," saying the two parties' cooperation attempts were foiled because of his refusal.
But other politicians said that Liao's refusal to run came as no surprise because, as a long-time civil servant, he is not cut out for elections and he is fully aware of that.
"Serving in public office for over two decades, Liao has fostered a personality that is rather of public officials -- conservative, scrupulous and very cautious in decision-making. He lacks the guts and the gambling spirit required for running in elections," said a high-ranking government official who wished to remain anonymous.
"In particular when facing a strong rival such as the DPP incumbent Su Chen-chang (蘇貞昌), Liao has foreseen the difficulties in the battle. He will never fight in a combat that is not to his advantage."
"Besides, ex-civil servants taking part in elections are not guaranteed success because voters may not welcome their bureaucratic bearing," the official said.
Liao has a habit of continually rejecting opportunities to run for political office. In 1985, he declined to run in the Chiayi County Commissioner's race, and he rejected another suggestion of running for deputy in the National Assembly in 1991.
One government official well-acquainted with Liao said that it is not difficult to figure out the cause of Liao's antipathy to elections. For someone who cares tremendously about his reputation, he said, it is natural that Liao should wish to avoid the wars of words, even mutual slandering, that are all-pervasive practices in elections.
As justice minister, Liao was noted for his relentless battles against organized crime, corruption and drugs. During his term of office, Liao was often placed in the media spotlight as he sent helicopters carrying detained gangsters off to Green Island (綠島), a place where political dissidents used to be imprisoned during the White Terror era.
Because of his efforts, Liao was later dubbed a hero for his efforts in cracking down on crime.
Liao's accomplishments were due partly to the complete authority bestowed on him by his supervisors and partly to his soaring ambition. However, some deemed Liao's reputation to be the result of his skill at manipulating the media to carve out a positive image for himself.
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