Chen seeks more flexible mayor

Citizens are free to choose the next mayor of Taipei City but should should not vote for someone who always opposes the central government, said President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) on behalf of his wife, Wu Shu-chen (吳淑珍), yesterday.

"The relationship between local and central governments should be one of trust and cooperation rather than one of opposition," Chen quoted Wu as saying at DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Lee Ying-yuan's (李應元) book presentation.

Wu was originally scheduled to appear at the event as a special guest but she was unable to make it due to gastrointestinal discomfort. Chen showed up on behalf of his wife and stressed that his appearance was one as Wu's husband and not as president.

Quoting Wu, Chen expressed support for Lee and took a swipe at incumbent Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

"The screw of the Taipei municipal works has become loose over the past four years," Chen said, referring to the recent string of police scandals, the persistence of the sex industry and the city's Ecstasy problem.

"It's time to have someone else come in to tighten up the screw, and that person is Lee Ying-yuan," he said.

Lee's book, Life's Exclamation Marks (人生的驚嘆號), is an autobiographic account of his experiences as a college student, a legislator, Taiwan's deputy representative to the US and secretary-general to the Cabinet.

The books also goes into Lee's involvement in the democratic movement and recounts his secret re-entry into Taiwan during the martial law era after he had been blacklisted. Lee was jailed for nine months only to be cleared of charges and released.

"My life contains no periods but is full of exclamation marks," Lee said. "Every turn and challenge in my life brings more surprises."

Lee's good friend, the Dalai Lama, sent a letter congratulating the DPP mayoral candidate on publishing the book.

"I am convinced that a non-violent approach is the best way to solve problems among individuals, groups and nations," his letter read, calling Lee as a good friend of Tibet. "I am sure that all who love freedom will learn much from Lee's experiences as recounted in [his] book and will be inspired to find their own way."

With less than three months to go before the year-end mayoral election, Lee is not alone in publishing an autobiography. A book by Ma is scheduled to hit the shelves next week with a book presentation scheduled for Saturday.

It was reported that Ma's book, targeting 20-to-30-year-old voters, is written in a colloquial style and includes many color photographs of Ma studying English, jogging and attending to his mayoral duties.