Lee-Chen spat for show, analysts say

The recent interactions between President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) are strategies adopted to consolidate their individual power bases, and it would be an under-estimation of their political wisdom if the public believed their relationship has nosedived, political observers said yesterday.

The observers pointed out that relations between the two political leaders wouldn't be affected by one or two conflicts, because the views they have in common far outweigh their differences. They added that both men's parties, the DPP and the TSU, would only benefit from their recent display of contention.

The commentators expressed their opinions following the widespread media reports that said that Chen-Lee relations, which have fluctuated over the course of time, hit their lowest point this week. That's because the two men conveyed utterly discordant views about how to tackle the financial crises facing the credit departments of the farmers' and fishermen's associations.

Philip Yang (楊永明), associate professor of political science at National Taiwan University, dubbed the leaders' interplays "the most brilliant operation in Taiwan's political history."

He indicated that what Chen and Lee have done was meant to expand their own political influence.

Calculated moves

"It is apparent that their moves are well-calculated. President Chen intends to use this chance to demonstrate his resolve to reform; whereas the ex-president attempted to seize the opportunity to win more support from the grassroots," Yang said.

Chen and Lee seem to have encountered their gravest disagreement ever, but the professor did not believe the two -- who have fostered cozy relations since Chen took power -- would "go their separate ways" because they are both fully aware that the DPP and TSU are virtually symbiotic bodies.

Since the beginning of this year, the relationship between Chen and Lee has been one of the most analyzed topics in the media. Over the months, the media have tended to speculate that the two were having a spat whenever the DPP and the TSU held differing views on policies.

Rumors of a dispute between Chen and his mentor began from the first time they aired their disparate views on China policy.

While Lee strongly opposes "China fever," having implemented the "no haste, be patient" investment policy, Chen prefers a less intrusive position, seeing investment in China as an inevitable trend.

The media further brought the Lee-Chen relationship into question in April, when reports said the government's decision to allow Taiwanese companies to invest in eight-inch wafer plants in China had caused friction between the two.

Difference of opinion

Such speculation reached its climax this week after the two leaders openly challenged each other with their conflicting viewpoints on how they would deal with the credit departments of the farmers' and fishermen's associations.

The departments, which were created in the 1960s by the former KMT government to offer loans to help members buy agricultural machinery and seeds, have long been regarded as the KMT's power base. Some of the cooperatives have become key sources of cash for local politicians and political factions.

But after many cases of corruption involving these associations during the past decade, the cooperatives now have a non-performing-loan ratios of between 17.5 and 21.5 percent, compared to 7.5 percent at Taiwan's banks.