Competition heats up for vacancy at aircraft developer

With the chairmanship of the state-run Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) coming up for grabs, competition for the job has been not just between applicants but also between different branches of government, sources said yesterday.

A shortlist has already been drafted despite the deadline to apply for the position being Dec. 26.

On the list are three candidates who have the backing of different branches of government. They are acting AIDC chairman Willy Peng (彭元熙), retired army Lieutenant-General Tony Sun (孫韜玉) and retired air force Lieutenant-General Fu Wei-ku (傅慰孤).

Peng, who has been the acting chairman for over three months, has the support of the company's labor union, which played a key role in ousting the former chairman, retired Lieutenant-General Huang Jung-teh (黃榮德).

Sun, who retired last month from the position of deputy army commander-in-chief, was recommended for the position by Minister of National Defense Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明). He is the first general not of the air force to be considered as the leader of the air-force-dominated AIDC.

An official with the AIDC, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said although Sun does not have an aviation background, he has much experience in armament and procurement systems.

Sun was the first director of the military armament bureau established two years ago. He had also been the chief of the military procurement bureau.

"Sun does have the ability to run a state-run enterprise like the AIDC. But whether he can get the job is a political issue," the AIDC official said.

"Although Sun was recommended by minister Tang, his real support comes from presidential officials, with whom he has good connections," he said.

"It is an open secret in the military that Sun did not get along with minister Tang. Sun had to retire in November mainly because of Tang. Tang's recommendation of him for the AIDC chairmanship does not mean anything," he said.

Tang's favorite for the position is Lieutenant-General Fu Wei-ku, who was the deputy air force commander-in-chief before retiring earlier this year.

According to custom, Fu should be able to take the position without any difficulty since it has always been occupied by retired generals of the air force.

But after Huang quit in August, the air force has virtually lost its control of the organization.

The competition between the three candidates is more like a tug of war between different branches of government.

The Executive Yuan is scheduled to decide and announce on Jan. 1 the new chairman.

Regardless of who wins the race, the new chairman will face a big challenge -- privatizing the company.