One turbulent day in the legislature more than a decade ago, a little-known firebrand legislator from the fledgling opposition party locked horns with the most powerful man in the country, the defense minister-turned-premier, Hau Pei-tsun (
That legislator, who sent Taiwan's fairly compliant legislature charging down a path of open confrontation with the Executive Yuan by throwing a bunch of papers at Hau in disgust during an interpellation session, was elected president on March 18 this year: Chen Shui-bian (
In a meeting rich with irony yesterday, Chen met with Hau, an icon of the old mainlander elite, to apologize for his behavior all those years ago. And in a moment steeped in symbolism, he was warmly welcomed.
PHOTO: LEE HUNG-MING, LIBERTY TIMES
The two men agreed that peace -- both at home and abroad -- was an overriding concern for Taiwan.
Chen and Hau could not possibly be more different -- or more representative of the divergent views in Taiwan society.
Hau, a career soldier who was fiercely loyal to Taiwan's paramount post-war leader, Chiang Kai-shek (
Chen was one of Hau's chief -- and harshest -- critics.
When Chen was first elected to the legislature in 1989, Hau was initially appointed defense minister, while Chen was a thorn in his side on the defense committee.
On one occasion, Chen became so angry with Hau's reluctance to give him straight answers that he overturned a desk separating them. The incident was instrumental in raising Chen's national profile, and made changes to interpellation rules possible.
Then, when Lee appointed Hau premier in 1990, the opposition movement voiced stern objections to the appointment of a general as the nation's chief executive. Chen was among those who launched a direct and concerted campaign against Hau due to his military background, which finally forced him to give up his general's rank.
Ten years later, Chen is the most powerful man in the country, while Hau has retired from politics.
But in an inescapable twist of irony, Chen has just recently nominated Minister of National Defense Tang Fei (唐飛) as his premier.
If there was an opportunity to grind the ax, however, Hau was not going to take it yesterday, calling Chen's decision "full of highly political wisdom."
The meeting won praise from many quarters, not the least significant of whom was Hau Lung-bin (
Chen, for his part, indicated he would seek to protect and improve soldiers' rights and raise their level of professionalism. As a leader of both the state and the military, Chen said he would put state interests above his own ideology.
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