Sun, Jul 08, 2001 page3

• Newsmakers-1: Aid guru calls it a day

  His colleagues say Taiwan lost a valuable asset when the former head of the ICDF foreign aid fund, Loh Ping-cheung, resigned. His critics say the other side of the coin is that he was too 'direct' to fit into Taiwan's unique diplomatic enviroment

  • By Monique Chu / STAFF REPORTER
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  In 1964, when the World Bank issued a recruitment advertisement in the US drawing about 3,000 applicants, then 28-year-old Taiwanese attorney Loh Ping-cheung (羅平章), a Yale Law School graduate, was one of the six lucky individuals who got one of the posts.

  Starting as an attorney for the World Bank, Loh climbed the corporate ladder to fill positions like assistant director of the bank's east and southern African projects department, as well as country director for various nations in Central and South America.

  His last post with the World Bank before retiring in 1996 was as senior advisor to the regional vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean.

  

  Loh Ping-cheung, former head of the Taiwan government's ICDF foreign aid fund.

  PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG

  In fact, it is Loh's decades-long expertise in foreign aid that lured the foreign ministry in 1996 to invite him to work as the secretary general of the newly founded International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF), Taiwan's principal body overseeing foreign aid under the supervision of the foreign ministry.

  But when the 65-year-old resigned on June 19, a year before the end of his second three-year term, many looked upon his departure with sadness.

  "We feel a bit upset. The departure of such a wonderful man is a loss not only to the ICDF but also to our country," said Lee Pai-po (李木百浡), ICDF's Assistant Secretary General.

  Seen by some insiders as Taiwan's top expert on foreign aid, Loh has impressed his ICDF colleagues with his ability to grasp the essence of issues, his good connections with international institutions and his command of foreign languages.

  When Loh came on board, he was able to quickly grasp the essence of some 30 to 40 years of operations by Taiwan's overseas technical missions, Lee said.

  "While it may take one year for others to understand these operations, it took him only three to five days ... He was able to see the strengths and weaknesses of these operations and offered ways of improvement. If it wasn't for his accumulated experience, he would not have been able to do so," Lee said.

  Loh became a US resident 30 years ago. He began to learn Spanish at the age of 50 and is close to mastering both English and Spanish fluently, according to sources close to him. In addition to these skills Loh also had excellent connections with various international institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. These connections were built up during his work experience with the World Bank.

  "Some participants in various international conferences may ignore the Taiwanese representative because Taiwan is not a member of the UN. But others treated Loh as their equal ... He's indeed an individual of rare caliber in Taiwan," Lee added.

  Despite his widely-recognized performance in leading the ICDF, some criticized Loh's personality, saying that he is stubborn and confrontational.

  "I rather admire this man because he's scrupulous and methodical in doing his work. But sometimes he's overly persistent in his opinions and was too ferocious when criticizing others," a Taiwanese diplomat currently posted in an Eastern European country told the Taipei Times under condition of anonymity.

  "He's rather unbending and stubborn. But you know, as far as the trade of diplomacy is concerned, sometimes one should know when to advance and when to retreat," the veteran diplomat added.

  Ko Yu-chin (葛雨琴), general secretary of the Chinese Relief Association, described Loh as "a man of principle," saying he dared to "say `no' to whomever he considered in the wrong regardless of that person's status."

  When asked to respond to Ko's comment, Loh said: "I am simply not tactful enough in dealing with others."

  "I am not at the same level as those who have a problem with me. I am above that," Loh said.

  Lee said others "misunderstood" Loh in this regard. He said Loh perhaps "raised his voice" in some meetings with foreign ministry officials, claiming some reports might "exaggerate" the actual situation at these meetings.

  Others, however, singled out the longstanding dissonance between Loh and the foreign ministry over foreign aid operations as the main cause of his resignation.

  "The relations between Loh and the foreign ministry have not been very congenial," said Fan Yang-shang (范揚盛), Convener of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Legislative Yuan, based on his observations on related meetings on foreign-aid programs.

  Lee denounced the media's portrait of the "conflict" between Loh and the foreign ministry, saying: "This is not a conflict. It's a question of ideas and methodology."

  While the ICDF's golden rule is that each non-confidential foreign aid operation must follow the "project cycle" that includes five-phased procedures such as identification, preparation, negotiation, implementation and evaluation, the foreign ministry sometimes thinks otherwise, Lee said.

  "Taiwan's foreign ministry is different from other international institutions. It shoulders an enormous burden to sustain diplomatic ties with its limited allies. So, in times of urgency, the ICDF is forced to skip these procedures," admitted Lee.

  Even when some of these procedures were followed, the foreign ministry did not necessarily follow the recommendations made by the ICDF's feasibility studies.

  For instance, when the ICDF concluded after a feasibility study of the Skopje Free Economic Zone that Taiwan should not implement the project because the idea "would enjoy no market," the ministry still went ahead with the scheme as part of its effort to sustain ties with Macedonia.

  The veteran diplomat said that, although some foreign ministry officials agreed with Loh in conducting feasibility studies before foreign aid programs are implemented, the reality of Taiwan's limited international space may at times make this professional practice a luxury.

  Even so, the veteran development expert plans to be on the move soon after his retirement, saying: "Some of my friends in Latin America have already invited me to work as their personal advisor."
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