A TSU lawmaker yesterday said politics played a key role in the personnel change at the country's biggest steelmaker and the aim was to eliminate former president Lee Teng-hui's (
TSU Legislator Lo Chih-ming (羅志明) said Lee helped Kuo Yen-tu (郭炎土) become chairman of China Steel Corp in May last year, when Lee's relationship with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was good.
Now that Chen-Lee relations have turned sour, Lo said Chen is attempting to uproot Lee's influence on the government by arranging for his own proteges to take significant posts.
Describing the Presidential Office's actions regarding Kuo as rough and unprofessional, he said it had transgressed its authority by usurping the duty of the Executive Yuan.
Kuo, who turned 65 last week, expressed a strong desire to keep his job yesterday after Minister of Economics Lin Yi-fu (
There has been widespread speculation that Kuo is being replaced as the chairman of the Kaohsiung-based company because he did not campaign enough for DPP Mayor Frank Hsieh's (謝長廷) re-election.
Lo said Kuo had sought his help after being notified last Friday that he would be replaced.
Lo said he couldn't find anyone who seemed to know about the situation when he checked with several departments that might be involved in the personnel change.
According to a source in the TSU, Kuo had sought succor from Lee on Sunday, hoping that he could use his influence to reverse the decision.
Lee reportedly told Kuo that there was not much he could do because he could only make suggestions to Chen, not make decisions for him.
"Besides, I have not been in touch with Chen for a long time," Lee was quoted as saying.
Lo said Kuo's ouster would trigger resentment within China Steel because the company has been extremely profitable under Kuo's leadership.
Lo said that only by recruiting professionals could the company gain international competitiveness. He said that potential replacements, including former Chinese Petroleum Corp chairman Regis Chen (
KMT and PFP lawmakers also believed Kuo's ouster is tied to the 2004 presidential election.
They urged the government to make professionalism its top concern, saying that recruiting people who are only good at campaigning is undemocratic.
Hsieh shrugged off speculation that Kuo is being replaced for not doing more to help his re-election. Hsieh said he has interacted well with Kuo and his gut feeling is that Kuo had supported him during the campaign.
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