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Lu gets heat over `inappropriate' comments

The Southern Taiwan Society criticized Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday, urging her to restrain herself and stop making "improper comments" about the nation's UN campaign.

Describing Lu's comments over the years as "inappropriate," the group said in a statement they had put up with Lu's "unique opinions" for too long.

Her remarks not only "seriously irritate" Taiwanese but also give Chinese media an opportunity to exploit them for news, the statement said.

The society said that months after Lu was elected in 2000, she described herself as a "deserted concubine left in the harem of despair," a reference to the "disparate treatment" she has had to endure as a woman and vice president.

On Wednesday, Lu said the logo of the UN campaign looked like a "pig snout."

The group said that even if the logo did look like a "pig snout," there was no need for Lu to criticize it publicly.

While Lu also urged both the governing and opposition parties to change the questions of their referendum proposals on UN membership to increase the odds of success, the group said it was baffled by Lu's "eccentric" proposal, which is bound to harm the DPP's chances of winning next year's presidential election.

The pro-independence group said it would also like to know why Lu had poured cold water on a march organized by the DPP in Kaohsiung last Saturday by calling on the party to refrain from indulging in the success of the event and be a responsible party.

Lu has talents, the statement said, but she is not a team player.

While former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) is pairing with his successor Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) in the presidential race, Lu might be worried that she would be marginalized in the political arena, the statement said.

"We suspect Lu intends to take advantage of the limited time left in her term to make controversial remarks so the Chinese media can capitalize on them and raise her personal profile," the statement said.

The Southern Taiwan Society said that those who worry about the nation's future can only shake their heads when they talk about Lu.

"We solemnly request that Lu stop making any comments that ignore the general interest," the statement said. "We'd like to make one thing clear: the future of Taiwan is more important than Lu's political future."

Lu declined to comment on the criticism yesterday.
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