Lee slams opposition for filing lawsuit over secrets

Former President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) yesterday took aim at the opposition parties, accusing them of failing to abide by democratic rules and attempting to ignite more social conflicts by filing a lawsuit against him.

"[There are people] who would like to sue me. What have I done wrong? I never engaged in any corrupt activities. They have gone too far," Lee said.

"These parties deliberately do not want to nurture democracy -- a political system where whoever gets defeated has to wait and prepare for the next battle."

Lee made the remarks at a campaign rally for the Taiwan Solidarity Union in Taipei City's Ta-an Park yesterday evening. He was responding to a treason lawsuit filed against him by opposition politicians.

The case was filed on Monday in reaction to statements made by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in his new book The Premier Voyage of the Century (世紀首航). In the book, Chen said that many files from the old government were not handed over to the DPP during the transfer of power in May last year.

The book, which will debut in bookstores this week, has created a stir in political circles since Friday. There has already been speculation that the book has soured the relations between Chen and the 78-year-old former president, who has been his closest political ally and has done his utmost this year to help the DPP administration through its crises.

But a TSU official yesterday said there was no hard feelings between Chen and Lee, saying "nothing [between the two heads of state] has changed."

"People wouldn't believe if I say the mood of [former president Lee] is totally unaffected by the book," said Shu Chin-chiang (蘇進強), secretary general of the TSU.

"But the release of the book will not harm the relations between Lee and Chen -- and neither will it affect the cooperative arrangement between the two parties [DPP and TSU] after the elections."

Presidential officials said that opinions expressed in the book did not intend to accuse the former government of any wrongdoing.

They say opposition politicians seized the opportunity to sow discord between Chen and Lee, claiming Chen was insinuating that Lee hid top-secret documents before he left office.

More action was taken on Monday as several politicians from the opposition camp filed a lawsuit against Lee.

The retired Lee re-entered the political stage in June, saying he was upset over the KMT's "infidelity" to pro-Taiwan and localization policies which he worked to implement during his 12 years in power.

Lee pushed for the formulation of the TSU so that it could continue his political ideas, promising to unite with the DPP to form a bigger alliance in the legislature.