Vice President Annette Lu (
She has been at the scene of almost all the important events of Taiwan's recent history. During martial law, when independent political parties were outlawed, she was active in the tang wai (
She was the deputy publisher of Formosa (
In 1979 Lu delivered a 20-minute speech criticizing the government at a peaceful rally to commemorate International Human Rights Day that later became known as the Kaohsiung Incident (
After breaking up the demonstration and inciting violence, the KMT imprisoned virtually the entire leadership of Taiwan's budding democracy movement, including Lu.
She was found guilty of violent sedition by a military court, and for her 20-minute speech was sentenced to 12 years in prison. She was jailed for a total of 1,933 days.
Lu has also long been a prominent and outspoken advocate of women's rights. She was well ahead of her time when, 30 years ago, she introduced feminist ideas to Taiwan and initiated the country's women's movement. Today, Taiwan's women, whether in education, business, society, or politics, have achieved remarkable progress, equaling their sisters in many advanced industrialized countries.
Her life "from prison to power" is not only a democratic anomaly of "oriental despotism" but also a victory for women in Taiwan.
And in 1993 she began a campaign to press for Taiwan's entrance into the UN, pitting herself in a diplomatic struggle against the Chinese authorities. In 1994 she chaired the Global Summit for Women, held in Taipei that year.
Her strong actions resulted in a denial of permission to transit via New York when she visited Central America this autumn.
Her outspoken personality led China to call her "the scum of the nation."
Even in Taiwan, she also lashed out at the new government's reaction to the Pachang Creek (
"President Chen can't keep a public image of being ill-tempered or of blaming other officials," Lu said on July 27, shortly after Chen's inauguration on May 20.
"I think that tendency is the reason why recent opinion polls show President Chen's popularity rate is declining."
She said that "This incident reveals a serious problem in Taiwan's constitutional system. The premier is not elected directly ... but has great power. And therefore, both the president and premier are shamed when facing such an incident."
Her suggestion was that the president should hold a national affairs conference to clarify the rights and responsibilities of the president and vice president.
She even said that "If everybody thinks that the vice president is not important, the Constitution should abolish the post."
The speech disturbed many observers at the time, but also predicted the short political life of former premier Tang Fei's (
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