When Yu Cheng-hsien (余政憲) was elected as the youngest legislator in Taiwan history in 1984 at the age of 27, he had no idea what kind of political mark he would make in the years ahead. Now almost two decades later, he has been made the youngest Minister of the Interior in the nation's history.
The 44-year-old Yu and his family have strong ties to one of the DPP's heavyweight local factions in Kaohsiung County. Yu is also the leader of the DPP's Justice Alliance.
Because of Yu's close relationship to first lady Wu Shu-chen (
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has long promised to appoint Yu to the Cabinet, but politicians and political scientists have expressed doubts about Yu's qualifications.
Newly-appointed Premier Yu Shyi-kun, however, said that he was the one who decided to tap Yu for the ministry post. He emphasized that Yu's experiences in local government and in the Legislative Yuan make him a perfect candidate for the post.
"President Chen wanted to designate him as the deputy secretary-general of the Presidential Office, but I insisted that [Yu] be named the Minister of the Interior," Yu Shyi-kun said.
Yu Cheng-hsien and the first lady were colleagues when they served as legislators 10 years ago. Yu took extra care of the first lady, who was disabled in a car accident. They remained close friends to this day.
In the 2000 presidential election, it was Yu's endorsement of Chen that helped the DPP contender receive the most votes in Kaohsiung County. Rumors about Yu's promotion to different positions have been prevalent ever since Chen took office.
Yu, however, objected to notions that his appointment was linked to his relationship with the first family. He argued that his experiences as a three-term legislator and two-terms as a commissioner are enough for any Cabinet post.
Others agreed.
"Yu's help to Wu was more like a boy scout's initiative, he had no idea at that time that Wu would be the first lady," said DPP lawmaker Chen Chi-mai (
DPP legislator Yu Jan-daw (余政道), Yu Cheng-hsien's younger brother, said his sibling is definitely qualified for the post, but that he should keep a low profile at first.
But Lin Ching-yao (
"He doesn't have a strong oratorical ability, or a good sense of policies and he can't deal with conflicts well," Lin said.
Huang Chih-hua (黃志華), a close aide to both Yu and Yu's mother, however, said that Yu is up to the job.
"He believes that the business of the Ministry of the Interior is an extension of county business and he thinks that he is well qualified. In my opinion, he should change the way he deals with conflicts in the future."
Officials and political scientists, however, expressed doubt over Yu's qualifications.
"Managing local government is totally different from managing national interior affairs. He probably needs time to get used to the central government's functions," said a ministry official.
Liao Da-chi (
"A local commissioner only needs to deal with local council members, but a minister has to deal with the Legislative Yuan, which is much more sophisticated," Liao said. "His second term in the county government didn't produce any remarkable achievements. His sense of policymaking probably needs to be strengthened."
Yu is from one of Kaohsiung County's three main factions, the Black Faction, which was established by his grandfather, Yu Deng-fa (余登發), four decades ago. Yu's older sister, Yu Lin-ya (余玲雅), is the vice chairperson of the Development and Evaluation Commission (研考會). His younger brother, Yu Jane-daw (余政道) and wife, Cheng Kuei-lien (鄭貴蓮), are both newly-elected DPP legislators.
Yu and his mother, Yu Chen Yueh-ying (
"It's not fair to link [his appointment] to the clan's efforts. We have tried very hard to erase that impression," Yu Jane-daw (余政道) said.
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