President Chen wades into Lu's housing dispute

Seeking to hush the spat over Vice President Annette Lu's (呂秀蓮) housing, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday threw his weight behind his top aide, Yu Shyi-kun, saying he had faithfully performed his duty.

Lu, who earlier faulted Yu for failing to show her due respect in planning the budget for her housing, described the controversy as a "bygone" but remained quiet about whether she would move into the Tai-an residence.

"It is commonplace for the executive branch to hand in its spending plan to the legislature for review," Chen said in a statement released to the media yesterday. "Occupational needs, not personal preferences, should guide the finding of residences for the president and vice president."

Since the transfer of power last year, Lu has leased a private apartment on Chungching South Road that costs NT$460,000 per month, saying no state-owned property meets her requirements.

Fearing that the opposition-controlled legislature may strike down the rental for the next fiscal year, the Presidential Office has proposed that Lu should move to a three-story house on Tai-an Street and asked for NT$3.57 million to furnish the residence.

"The Presidential Office should speed up its efforts to finalize the vice president's housing," Chen said. "Presidential Secretary-general Yu, charged with commanding and coordinating internal affairs, has acted as a competent chief of staff."

"The country has come to a critical juncture where the public and private sector must join forces to carry out various reforms," he added. "All government officials should resolve their disputes and strive to serve the people."

Lu said openly last week that she prefers to stay where she is and blamed Yu and budgeting officials for failing to notify her of the plan to purchase redwood furniture for her new residence. In a show of discontent, she did not attend the weekly nine-member policymaking meeting headed by Chen on Tuesday night.

But yesterday afternoon, she softened her criticism while making a tour of landslide-affected areas in Taichung County.

"Matters that have crucial bearing on public welfare should take precedence over other concerns," Lu said, calling the uproar over her housing as "petty."

Still, the feuding has put fellow DPP lawmakers in political hot water, many of whom have called on aides of Chen and Lu to exercise restraint while seeking to defend their bosses.

DPP legislative whip Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) insisted that there is no rancor between the nation's top leaders and that Yu has worked hard to find Lu a residence.

Fellow colleague Chou Ya-shu (周雅淑) attributed the controversy to a lack of communication between Chen's and Lu's offices and suggested the two sides sit down and iron out any misunderstanding.

In a related development yesterday, a Taipei City councilor urged Lu to drop the idea of moving to a house which has been designated as a municipal and national historic relic.

Inspecting the former residence of late president Yen Chia-kan (嚴家淦), located on Chungching South Road, New Party City Councilor Chung Hsiao-ping (鍾小平) said that he is worried that Lu might damage the historic building should she decide to move in.

Lu allegedly favors Yen's former residence to all others.

"Although the Presidential Office has suggested nine state-owned residences to Lu as a possible long-term official residences for the vice president, she set her eyes on a historic relic," he said. "I'm afraid that Lu might get what she wants since the place is no longer under the jurisdiction of the city government."