Mon, Oct 14, 2002 page3

• Diane Lee's fall from grace

  Before she got involved in pursuing justice over an alleged KTV sex scandal, the journalist-turned-politician seemed to be living a charmed life. Consistently ranked as a top legislator and considered a shoo-in for a 2006 Taipei mayoral run, she came from a privileged family, born to politician parents. But then a case of mistaken identification brought the walls tumbling down

  • By Crystal Hsu / STAFF REPORTER
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  PFP lawmaker Diane Lee (李慶安), ranked as one of the most hardworking legislators session after session, has come under intense pressure to quit her office.

  Driven by self-righteousness and a hunger for the media spotlight, she mistakenly accused top health official Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲) of sexually harassing another man during a KTV party on Aug 6.

  

  PFP Legislator Diane Lee, left, accompanies her brother Lee Ching-hua and his wife while Lee Ching-hua registers for the 1992 legislative elections.

  TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO

  The sensational allegation gripped the nation for days as Twu, acting head of the Department of Health (DOH), insisted he was innocent in one news conference after another. Meanwhile, Lee and the alleged victim, Cheng Ko-jung (鄭可榮), relentlessly demanded an apology from Twu.

  Despite a lack of evidence, an overwhelming number of local Chinese-language newspapers and TV talk shows expressed sympathy for Cheng, the handsome owner of a dumpling stand.

  The controversy took a dramatic turnabout on Oct 5 when Lee and Cheng, crestfallen and weary, bowed before TV cameras saying they had identified the wrong man. Just one night before, investigators had found that Twu was never at the KTV and that it was another DOH official with a similar surname -- Tu Hao-lin (屠豪麟), the department's personnel chief -- who was present at the party.

  Critics have since pressed Lee to step down, calling her mistake unforgivable.

  While apologetic, the two-term lawmaker has showed no intention of resigning, however.

  "I will greet all criticism with a humble heart and engage in solemn soul-searching," Lee said. "In the future, I will try harder to fight for ordinary citizens who suffer injustice."

  Though she struggles to appear unharmed, the political farce has seriously tainted her image as a justice fighter.

  The uproar surfaced last month when the journalist-turned-politician was told by an aide that a ranking official had forcefully kissed Cheng and licked his ears during a party at a KTV in downtown Taipei.

  Shocked, Lee paid a visit to the alleged victim and urged him to come forward and expose the official's misconduct.

  "A man of such debase character should be booted from the government," the lawmaker reportedly told Cheng.

  At Lee's advice, Cheng agreed to pen a petition letter detailing his encounter with a Mr. Twu/Tu, who a mutual acquaintance had described to him as "soon to be promoted to the leadership post" in the health department.

  Cheng, who had never previously met Twu or Tu, took his harasser to be Twu.

  Meanwhile, Ding Jui-feng (丁瑞豐), who had invited Cheng to the party, never corrected when Cheng and his wife referred to the health official as Twu Shiing-jer in later phone conversations.

  Later, when Lee was making her own inquiries, both Ding and a couple that was also present at the party told her Twu was never at the KTV.

  But since they failed to identify the man who harassed Cheng, Lee said she decided they had been "pressured to tell lies or keep quiet" and disregarded their statements.

  She then went on to reject an offer by Twu to clarify the matter personally and accused Premier Yu Shyi-kun of seeking to cover up the scandal.

  "Whoever tells lies should step down," the lawmaker angrily said on Oct. 3 when Twu showed up at a KTV room where she and Cheng recounted the alleged sexual harassment to the press.

  Twu had roundly denied ever visiting any KTV polar in the last year and vowed to resign if it were proved otherwise. He challenged Lee to do the same and filed libel suits against her and Cheng.

  The next evening when cable TV stations aired the image of Tu, Cheng conceded he is not good at recognizing people.

  "After strenuous recollecting, Cheng concluded it is Tu, not Twu, who [harassed him] the other night," Lee told a news conference on Oct. 5.

  She and Cheng then took a deep bow to show their regret for putting Twu and his family through the emotional ordeal.

  The lawmaker attributed her bungle mainly to misleading information supplied by witnesses involved. Cheng, on the other hand, blamed Tu for failing to come forward and vindicate Twu earlier. Tired of media inquiries, he has closed down his dumpling shop.

  "The store, which may seem insignificant to others, is all I have," Cheng said.

  Tu was given a major demerit and switched to a non-supervisory position.

  Lee, who has since doffed her grandstanding, is now facing a libel charge and possibly having to shell out NT$50 million in compensation.

  The melodramatic debacle has substantially dimmed her political star, pundits said.

  With a squeaky-clean image and high popularity, she had been widely considered a promising candidate for a Taipei mayoral run in 2006.

  In April last year, her former independent colleague Lo Fu-chu (羅福助) was suspended from the legislature for six months for punching her and pulling her hair on the legislative floor.

  "This time, Lee should volunteer to be punished to set an example," TSU lawmaker Lo Chih-ming (羅志明) said.

  Lee, 43, first entered politics in 1994 when she won a berth on Taipei City Council. Four years later, she joined the legislative race, winning a seat representing the capital city's southern district.

  Some linked her electoral success to her national name recognition gained through working as a reporter and anchorwoman for Chinese Television System.

  Others, however, ascribed her smooth career to her privileged background.

  Lee's father, Lee Huan (李煥), once served as premier, education minister, senior presidential adviser, and KMT secretary-general, among his long list of credentials Her deceased mother Pan Hsiang-ning (潘香凝) was a former tenured National Assembly member.

  In addition, Diane Lee's three siblings all have served in different government posts.

  Four-term PFP Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華), 54, is one of Diane Lee's two brothers. He chaired the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee before launching his political career.

  In Aug 1993, Lee Ching-hua co-founded the New Party with then-KMT lawmakers Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康), Wang Chien-shien (王建火宣), Yuk Mu-ming (郁慕明), Chen Kwei-miew (陳癸淼), Lee Sheng-feng (李勝峰) and Stella Chou (周荃).

  The KMT splinter group is known for bashing former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and promoting unification between Taiwan and China.

  Just days before the 2000 presidential poll, Lee Ching-hua quit the New Party to back independent runner James Soong (宋楚瑜). A week earlier, his sister just broke ranks with the KMT for the same reason.

  Lee Ching-chu (李慶珠), elder sister of Diane Lee, was a key staffer for the National Youth Commission and Overseas Chin-ese Affairs Commission in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Aggressive and overbearing, she was disliked by many colleagues.

  Her thesis with which she passed the 1988 civil service exam was later found to be a piece of plagiarism and led to her downfall. The scandal was exposed by then-DPP legislator Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), now the nation's president.

  Lee Ching-chung (李慶中), the eldest brother of Diane Lee, was appointed as deputy head of Environmental Protection Administration when the agency was created in 1987.

  Before that, he worked for Department of National Treasury, Securities & Exchange Commission, Council for Economic Planning and Development, and Ministry of Economic Affairs.

  In 1992 Lee Ching-chung quit the EPA after his boss Jaw Shaw-kong threw his hat into the legislative ring.

  "I'd rather be a Taiwanese Hemingway than an environmental official," he said upon his resignation.

  He has since become a freelance writer.
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