PFP legislative whip Liu Wen-hsiung (
After a court recently denied Soong's request to replace former president Lee Teng-hui (
TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO
In 1999, the KMT accused Soong of pocketing its funds during his stint as the party's secretary-general in the early 1990s. The scandal came to light after a large sum of money was found in the bank account of his son.
The scandal is believed to have cost Soong the presidency in 2000, though he insisted Lee put the money in his trust to conduct party operations.
"The court's decision attests to a relationship of trust between Lee and Soong years ago," Liu said last Thursday. "This is why it would not allow anyone else to collect the money."
In an effort to demonstrate his integrity, Soong deposited NT$240 million, including alleged interest payments, with a Taipei court after Lee refused to take the money and blasted Soong's claims as "outright lies."
A week earlier, Liu berated as nonsense a half-page ad by former film director Liu Chia-chang (
"It is apparently a political gambit paid for by people intent on ruining the KMT-PFP alliance," Liu Wen-hsiung said. "The film director played similar tricks during the 2000 presidential campaign."
Born to a soldier father who fled to Taiwan during the Chinese civil war, Liu Wen-hsiung, 48, made Soong's acquaintance when he was a member of the now-defunct Provincial Assembly between 1989 and 1998.
Zealous and direct, he has gone out of his way to help Soong pursue his political ambitions.
To that end, he criticized Ma for being arrogant and ungrateful after the Taipei mayor declined to share the stage with Soong at a PFP campaign rally.
The second largest opposition party had hoped to take advantage of the event to boost the prospect of its Taipei City Council candidates.
"A front-runner in the race, Ma is most likely to win a second term," Liu said two days before the Dec 7 vote. "Let's not give him too many ballots lest he should take PFP support for granted and grow conceited."
Colleagues said worries that Ma may threaten Soong's 2004 presidential bid prompted the PFP lawmaker to level criticism against the KMT star.
The tactic backfired, however, as Ma supporters flooded PFP headquarters with protest calls. Soong later went down on bended knee at a rally that same evening to plead for pan-blue unity.
The next day, a solemn-looking Liu told reporters he regretted making the remarks about Ma and echoed the need to stay united.
Eager to help Soong in a second attempt for the presidency, Liu will inevitably have more clashes with KMT officials who endeavor to help their boss gain the same political trophy.
Neither Soong nor Lien is willing to play second fiddle, though the two opposition leaders have recently agreed to join forces in unseating President Chen Shui-bian (
Like most other PFP stalwarts, Liu is a former KMT member who broke away to follow Soong after the former provincial governor entered the 2000 presidential race as an independent.
"Once Soong throws his hat into the ring, I will help him the best I can," he said in June 1999.
True to his words, Liu has since fervently defended Soong on TV talk shows and is considered a core member of the Soong clique.
Long before Liu's formal ouster from the KMT, colleagues in the former ruling party had called his loyalty into question.
In 1997, he lost the election for Keelung mayor to DPP candidate Lee Chin-yung (
Two years earlier, Liu encouraged former Judicial Yuan president Lin Yang-kang (
As a provincial assemblyman, he endorsed a friend of his, Yang Wen-hsin (
Indeed, Liu has repeatedly allowed his loyalty to friends to influence his professional judgment during his 13-year political career.
Soon after entering the legislature in 1999, he attached a "gambling clause" to the lottery law permitting the issuance of lottery tickets alongside major sports events.
The disputed clause was introduced at the urging of Yang, whose family owns Ever Fortune Group and was eyeing the lucrative market.
Years earlier, Liu helped a business partner obtain more than NT$900 million in bank loans. The partner later defaulted an interest payment.
"Liu likes to play the role of a big brother and help solve problems for people he knows," said PFP lawmaker Chiu Yi (邱毅). "His zeal makes him a busybody sometimes."
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by