Breaking News, World News and Taiwan News.

Updated Monday, November 9, 2009 10:19 am TWN, By Joe Hung, Special to The China Post

Sponsors
▪	Buy china wholesale products from reliable chinese wholesalers on DHgate.com!
▪	Save 75% for all hotels in Shanghai, Beijing and whole China. Lowest rates for Flights in China.
▪	Get the best deals for Guangzhou Hotels or choose from more than 10,000 hotels in 499 Chinese cities.
▪	Find great real time deals on China Flights. Book flights to China or China domestic flights 24/7.

When the hunter becomes the hunted

Lee is in the quandary. It is next to impossible to get witnesses to testify against the premier. There is no concrete evidence of Wu's involvement in the gravel contract award, for Chiang went on the record by telling a press conference he has never been engaged in the mining of small stones to make the surface of roads and paths.

The charges that Wu tried to rig the election of the council speaker and deputy speaker do not stick, because the alleged horse-trading took place a year before it would be held. Nantou voters will elect a county council along with their magistrate. The speaker and the deputy speaker of the council will be elected only after it is inaugurated.

More damage came to Lee from friendly quarters. Huang Wen-chun, chairwoman of the DPP chapter in Tsaotun, was present at Chiang's news conference, where she accused Lee of soliciting the help of the boss. She told reporters Lee asked for her help to meet with Chiang. They met at a campaign rally, she said. “He asked for support and shook hands with Chiang,” she asserted. Lee could only say he did not remember the meeting and the hand-shaking. He might have told the truth, but the charges couldn't be denied outright.

Even worse, Chiang said he met Lee at the rally but did not offer support. “I used to support the DPP,” Chiang said. “Many leaders of the party asked for my support, which was readily given,” he went on. Among them were President Chen Shui-bian and Su Tseng-chang, a former premier who ran unsuccessfully for vice president last year. Chiang, in particular, charged Lee with trying to smear him because he withdrew support. On the other hand, the Nantou godfather declared he and Wu are “just acquaintances” and admitted he would not be supporting Li for re-election “if the previous government of the DPP had not made the life of the people go from bad to worse.”

The chances are that Lee won't be able to prove Wu's involvement in the scandals. He might have to apologize or stand trial. In any case, his political life might come to an end. As a matter of fact, he shouldn't get so carried away by the scandal-spreading story in Next magazine as to add extra accusations without first collecting iron-clad evidence against the premier. Premier Wu counts himself lucky, for his persecutor has goofed.

1|2