Conflict between President Chen Shui-bian (
In an advanced copy of the new book about Chen's first 500 days in office, President Chen says that according to the Constitution, the vice president, rather than sharing the powers of the head of state, has a completely separate job from that of the president.
Chen was quoted by anonymous academics as having said that Lu has acted more like a "semi-president" rather than as a vice president.
In the new book, scheduled to hit store shelves on Wednesday, Chen supported his view by quoting former president Lee Teng-hui (
Furthermore, Chen said he had consulted former vice president Li Yuan-zu (李元簇) about the proper role of the vice president. Chen was told by Li that "a vice president is nothing more than a vice president" and that this view was the secret for his amicable ties with then president Lee during Li's six-year stint as vice president.
Li was billed as "a person with no voice" in Taipei political circles because he refrained from airing personal views in public.
Military leaders expressed their displeasure with President Chen when he let Lu join him in overseeing military exercises and in inspecting military units, saying that "there is a commander in chief of armed forces but no deputy commander in chief" under the constitution, according to Chen.
Chen said that he believes Lu will gradually come to know what her role is under the Constitution and act accordingly in the future.
The president said he has expressed his views in support of both men and women running the government, adding that he chose Lu as his running mate in last year's presidential election on the strong recommendation of his wife Wu Shu-chen (
Hours after the content of Chen's book was made public, Lu issued a statement through her office arguing that she had never overstepped her authority.
The vice president, who studied law at National Taiwan University and Harvard University, said she has "a considerable grasp of the constitution" and is confident that she has never acted beyond her authority and has always shown Chen the utmost respect.
If she has ever appeared to have upstaged the president in public, she said, it has been for a good and proper reason, pointing to the example of her inspection of disaster areas in the wake of the recent typhoons that ravaged the nation and the necessity of coming to the aid of victims who have suffered from repeated natural disasters.
Noting that the year-end elections are drawing near, Lu said she prefers to reserve her opinions about the new book's other controversial entries concerning her, lest a public spat between herself and Chen jeopardize the election chances of the DPP candidates.
Lu in her statement praised Chen's ideas concerning both men and women running the country but seemed to disagree with Chen's views about the role of the vice president.
A newspaper yesterday quoted Taiwan's first female vice president as saying that Li was branded a voiceless man by Lee Teng-hui when Lee explained to the country his choice of Li as his running mate.
Lu told the paper that Li had only referred to himself as a voiceless man once in public, although he did do many things for the country while in office.
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