He stated over and over, when he was president, that he would serve as a pastor after retirement. However, he is still actively involved in politics and remains influential although he is in his eighties and has undergone heart surgery.
Lee was president of the Republic of China for 12 years, starting in 1988, after the death of his predecessor Chiang Ching-kuo. He is credited with promoting the democratization of Taiwan. However, he is also accused of aiding and expediting the Taiwan independence movement.
Lee recently dropped a bombshell on Taiwan politics by asserting that he never advocated Taiwan independence and that there is no need for the island to pursue independence.
The announcement surprised almost everyone who heard it and left the "pan-green" alliance, especially the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), dumbfounded and angry. One news report said that some of his former supporters have been taking sleeping pills since they learned of his recent remarks.
The surprising comments were made in an interview he had with the top-selling weekly Next.
"I am not an independence activist and have never advocated Taiwan independence," the magazine which published the interview quoted Lee as saying.
"Many people portray me as the 'godfather' of the Taiwan independence movement, but you can try to find whether I have ever emphasized Taiwan independence in the collection of my essays and speeches," he added.
He even said, according to the magazine report, that he would like to take a trip to the Chinese mainland and "travel the route that Confucius followed when he was touring the various states in his time."
In the interview, he criticized the ruling DPP's lack of achievements since it gained power in 2000.
On a number of occasions after the Next interview, Lee kept up his attack on the DPP and continued with the view that he never advocated Taiwan independence.
Is Lee a supporter of Taiwan independence? In 1999, Lee said in an interview with the German radio station Voice of Germany that relations between Taiwan and mainland China were special state-to-state ties.
This opinion, locally referred to as the "two-state theory," is considered his first statement that clearly reflected his support of Taiwan independence. Subsequently, he adopted many policies, such as the abrogation of Taiwan's status as a province, that indicated he was in favor of separating Taiwan permanently from China.
After the Kuomintang lost the 2000 presidential election and he was expelled from the party, Lee formed the independence-leaning Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), which has been an ally of the DPP. As the TSU's spiritual leader, Lee repeatedly said that "the Republic of China no longer exists."
Lee's recent statement that Taiwan need not pursue independence has aroused appointment, anger, and censure among large numbers of Green Alliance supporters.
Why did Lee make this apparent about face? The change in attitude is obviously due to the fact he wants to assist his TSU do well in the looming legislative elections. Whether the TSU will be helped by these remarks remains unknown, but the comments have certainly had an adverse effect on the TSU's ties with the DPP.
