For an "unromantic" man like President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) -- as his wife has called him -- it was surprising to be seen choking back tears and saying "I love you" to his wife.
But yesterday during the press conference that marked the return of first lady Wu Shu-chen (
"The car accident 16 years ago after my defeat in a magistrate's election resulted in my wife being disabled and confined to a wheelchair for a lifetime. Sixteen years later, Mrs. Wu Shu-chen, in her wheelchair, traveled to Europe [on my behalf]," Chen said proudly.
Wu was in France last week to accept the Prize for Freedom on behalf of Chen. She also visited the Czech Republic under the invitation of Czech first lady Dagmar Weskrnova.
"But it's her bravery and optimism that helped her make it through the past 16 years. A-bian [Chen's nickname] is not at all great ... It's our two children, the most important pillars of strength, who have motivated her to live on," Chen said, choking back sobs.
On Nov. 18, 1985, Chen lost the Tainan County magistrate election by a narrow margin. During a thank-you campaign for his supporters, Wu was walking with the campaign staff when a truck hit her. After striking her, the truck backed up and ran over her two more times. "I just felt tired all over, like I was dying, and my lower body was totally numb," Wu has recalled in the past.
But prior to Chen's remarks at the press conference, the upbeat and amicable first lady said the grim past surrounding the car accident, which is believed to have been politically motivated, was the last thing she wanted to think about.
"Some people have asked me my feelings about the fact that Nov. 18, the day of my return to Taiwan, would be the 16th anniversary of the incident. But when thinking about returning to Taiwan, I only thought about seeing my husband and children again," Wu said.
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