Party officials say Lu not up for DPP vice chairman post

While Vice President Annette Lu's (呂秀蓮) recent visit to Indonesia has received much praise, the DPP yesterday denied speculation that the president is preparing to pick her as his running mate in the 2004 presidential election.

Party officials also denied reports that President and DPP chairman Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is considering appointing Lu as one of the party's three vice chairmen -- posts that remain to be filled.

"It is still premature to talk about [the candidates for the next] presidential election," said DPP lawmaker and member of the party's Central Standing Committee Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬).

"Even though Lu may have succeeded on the diplomatic front, the core issues for now are to assess her trip, and to discuss the ramifications of the incident on our diplomatic affairs. Raising the question [of who would be Chen's vice presidential candidate for the next election] now only distracts from the issue at hand."

The official flatly dismissed the possibility that Lu could serve as the party's vice chairman because it would be in defiance of the party's charter to designate anyone who is not a member of the party's central committee standing.

Gao made the comments in response to media questions on whether Chen is paving the way for Lu to become vice chairman and another Lu vice presidency by giving her ample opportunity to show her expertise in both domestic and foreign affairs.

The vice president has been widely lauded for her four-day surprise visit to Indonesia last week. Initially being barred entry into Jakarta due to China's strong opposition, Lu managed to slip into the capital city on her return journey after a stop in Bali, meeting with former and incumbent Indonesian congressmen and officials.

At home, Lu has given an unusually high number of interviews and has demonstrated her compassion for Taiwan's under-privileged groups and victims of catastrophes.

Along with these various signs, the delay in filling the party's three chairman posts has intensified the speculation that Lu is working hard to compete for the post in order to boost her chance of being picked as Chen's running mate in 2004.

With an attempt to tone down the issue, Lu yesterday urged the public "not to mix external with internal affairs."

She said that what she did in Indonesia was to elevate Taiwan's international profile, not to further her political ambitions.

The vice president stressed she has always maintained an amicable relationship with Chen, countering reports that the two leaders had a frayed relationship in the early days of Chen's administration.

She said it was a misfortune for the country when the media distorted her relationship with the president, adding that she hoped the media would be more responsible in the future.