Suspicions that Taiwan Fertilizer (
Liu Tai-ying said the two were once good friends, but the friendship between the two Lius has soured considerably since Liu Sung-fan's remarks. Liu Sung-fan further warned he would disclose more inside stories if Liu Tai-ying continued to talk.
With the insults and invective flying, one must ask, is this the way good friends treat each other?
These two characters are adversaries trading blows. They're not friends. It all makes me think friendship between politicians is an insult to the definition of "good friends."
Abraham Lincoln was known not only for liberating slaves in the US but also for his humor and wisdom in pointing out the fickleness of the world. During the US Civil War, many letters from political and business celebrities arrived at the White House every day, obsequiously asking for mercy on behalf of officers who had violated military discipline. One day, Lincoln received a letter without an endorsement from a congressman or other connected individual. Lincoln, surprised, asked: "Has this man no friends?" The friendship between the two Lius is typical of friendships between Taiwanese politicians.
Liu Tai-ying described his friendship with Liu Sung-fan: "We were good friends but now we are not. Let me tell you that Liu Sung-fan treated me to meals when he was Legislative Yuan speaker. I did not treat him to meals..." It is difficult for outsiders to figure out the nature of their friendship, but apparently it started at a dining table.
People looking to get involved in Taiwan's politics, or businessmen looking for a few friends in political circles, are used to courting each other over food and drink. They exchange name cards, offer red-faced toasts to each other, shout offensive jokes and leak inside stories. Stumbling away from the dining table, they will say they "know" each other. And since "good friends" send gifts on New Year's Day or when requesting a favor, so do these people shower their powerful new friends with presents.
Friendship is different for politicians and ordinary people in that the former is based on vested interests. Some use their friendship with powerful politicians as a means to acquire wealth and power, while some satisfy their vanity by showing off powerful friends. The power of ulterior motives ensures that the more powerful a politician is, the more friends he or she is likely to make. In contrast, low-level politicians are like fourth-place winners in a race, they don't get any medals and they certainly don't have many groupies.
Friendship between ordinary people is different. Care is the starting point of friendship, and understanding, trust and personality enrich the friendship. Without the taint of money or the threat of betrayal, real friendship should be a stable relationship.
A politician's "good friends," however, disappear when the likelihood of profit diminishes. Friendship in politics is a high-stakes game.
We all like to see people in love get married and people who care for each other become friends. Chinese novelist Lu Xun (
Chen Ro-jinn is a freelance writer.
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