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Vice president gives Hsieh advice on running mate

Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday offered a piece of advice to her party's presidential candidate, urging him to pick a running mate who is cooperative and in whom who he could confide in during the four-year term.

Lu said former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) might want to consider a running mate who will complement him in various areas, including gender and expertise.

"For the benefit of the country, he might want to focus on whether he can trust the person and work with that person for four years," she said.

"It is important that he not let factional interests get in the way of things and realize there is only one vice president, not a team," she added.

Lu made the remarks during an interview with a radio station yesterday morning.

Other ways to serve

Lu said she would not run as an independent because the party's selection process was over and there were many other ways in which to serve the country.

Lu had originally planned to continue with the second stage of the primary process, but changed her mind after the two other contenders, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Yu Shyi-kun, withdrew from the race after losing the party member vote to Hsieh.

Lu yesterday said her change of heart had a lot to do with Hsieh's attitude.

She said she had been touched by his sincerity and thought it would be a good idea to let Hsieh begin preparing for the election as early as possible.

Preparation needed

"Electioneering is very different from governing," she said. "Governing a country is a big undertaking which requires early preparation."

Since she has already publicly thrown her full support behind Hsieh's candidacy, Lu said she hoped Hsieh would prevail in the election.

Lu said that she had suffered much injustice during the vice presidential selection process leading up to the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, but she refrained from providing any details.

Asked whether she felt she had been attacked whatever she did during her term, Lu said "absolutely."

"The big boss has the most power and the second in command must listen," she said. "Of course, the more the power, the bigger the responsibility and pressure."
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