"While most lauded his achievements in cracking down on crime and his efficient handling of culprits by transporting them to Green Island, I considered it [to be] him putting on a show for himself, because the problems related to organized crime did not improve much under his administration," said Joseph Lin (林永頌), an attorney from the Judicial Reform Foundation. "But, by broadcasting the scenes of his seeing the helicopters off, Liao won what he wanted -- reputation."
Born into a political family in Liuchiao township (六腳鄉) of Chiayi County, Liao is regarded as an honored son of the region and has maintained very close bonds with local political factions.
A bachelor, master and doctor of law from National Taiwan University, the younger Liao excelled academically, passing the examination for judges in his sophomore year.
Having passed the bar examination upon his graduation, Liao was rated one of the top 10 attorneys in Taipei during his decade as a lawyer.
Those close to Liao said that since his career began with a post in the Taiwan Provincial Government in 1979, his political career has climbed rapidly, because of his mature interpersonal skills and his good grasp of the propensity of his bosses.
Liao was promoted almost every two years regardless of any change in supervisors.
Over 10 years, he served in a wide range of influential posts, including the director of the provincial governor's office, deputy director of the Government Information Office, the deputy secretary general of the Cabinet, and the director of the Investigation Bureau.
In 1996, Liao rose to prominence to become the justice minister. He became the protege of Lien Chan (連戰), then vice president and prime minister.
In view of the connections he maintained with his former office, Liao was the first and only justice chief who could maneuver the police, investigative and judicial departments with little difficulty.
But his prominent political career ended abruptly in 1998 as he was forced to resign amid charges of power abuse leveled by late Investigation Bureau director Cheng Chun (程泉).
Liao has blamed former premier Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) for staging his downfall from behind the scenes and vehemently opposed Lien's choice of Siew as his running mate for the presidential election last year.
Liao quit the KMT the following year, saying his departure was prompted by his desire to save the country from further decadence. During last year's presidential election he threw his support behind James Soong (宋楚瑜), who had also broken away from the KMT.
Liao, however, has never joined the People First Party -- founded by Soong shortly after his defeat in the presidential election. Remaining detached from politics, Liao has dedicated himself to teaching and assisting underprivileged groups.
Some may be bewildered at Liao's refusal to return to the political stage, but independent lawmaker Eugene Jao (趙永清), who has worked closely with Liao in the past, had a different perspective on the incident.
"Politicians think too narrowly. Liao's political career will probably be halted temporarily for his rejection this time," Jao said. "But, for an individual who claims that participating in politics is not the only way to serve the country, to remain where he is now is probably the best for him."
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