Wed, Apr 10, 2002 page3

• Critics say Chang divorce political

  POINT-COUNTERPOINT Family members of the former premier say criticism that he divorced his ex-wife to make himself more politically palatable, is unfair

  • By Ko Shu-ling / STAFF REPORTER
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  Former Premier Chang Chun-hsiung's (張俊雄) recent marriage to a long-time mistress immediately after divorcing his estranged wife has drawn criticism that his personal life is a politically motivated one, sources at the Presidential Office said yesterday.

  Critics assert that Chang wanted to rid the public of the impression that he was keeping two wives by finally divorcing his long estranged first wife. He had been openly living with his mistress for the past 30 years.

  "I believe there are some political motivations behind the matter," the source said. "And I think some of the phone calls placed recently to the Presidential Office to complain about Chang's divorce are probably also politically motivated."

  News broke on Sunday that Chang finally married his mistress Chu Ah-yi (朱阿英) of 30 years in March, after divorcing his wife, Hsu Jui-yin (徐瑞英) in February.

  Chang and Hsu had lived separately, but officially remained man and wife.

  Speculation was rife that Chang's divorce was conducted for political reasons. It is believed that Chang is slated to take over the post of president of the Examination Yuan from Hsu Shui-teh (許水德) of the KMT.

  The entire Control Yuan will soon be replaced when members' six-year terms expire.

  A taskforce designated by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) at the end of last month to examine a list of qualified people presented a list of 36 candidates to the Examination Yuan for Chen's consideration.

  The list includes Chang; Aca-demia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲); National Policy Adviser to the President Nita Ing (殷琪); and Secretary-General to the President Chen Shih-ming (陳師孟). Chen will nominate 19 members from the list and is expected to make public the nominations early next month.

  According to the Constitution, Examination Yuan commissioners are nominated by the president and must then be approved by the legislature.

  Since the news of Chang's divorce broke, the Presidential Office has been inundated with calls complaining about his callousness, Chinese-language newspapers reported yesterday.

  Responding to the report, the source at the Presidential Office said that it is "grossly exaggerated."

  "We've received some phone calls regarding the matter alright, but while some of them are against the divorce, some voiced their support," the source said.

  The source said that he believes that KMT and PFP may have something to do with causing the uproar.

  "I believe there is some connection between the complaints and the two opposition parties, who intend to stop Chang from replacing [the Examination Yuan's] incumbent president," the source said.

  Annoyed by the public criticism, Chang's second son, Chang Jen-hung (張仁弘), called on the public to stop politicizing a simple family matter.

  "Please respect the privacy of my family," he said. "The divorce has nothing to do with politics, and all of my family members support our parents' decision to divorce."

  That Chang has two wives is no secret. In 1994, when he was running for the mayoral election in Kaohsiung, his rivals used the issue to attack him during the campaign.

  In a bid to win the election, Chang had his mistress make a public apology and had her hair cut in front of them to denote the sincerity of her apology.

  The unconventional move, however, did not win him the election and received much criticism.
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