The selection of Vincent Siew, a former Cabinet premier with decades of experience in government, was a wise decision that should add votes to Ma’s final tally.

Known as “Smiling Siew” for his pleasant demeanor and amicable relationships with peers, subordinates and members of opposing political camps, Vincent Siew is a capable administrator who has a proven track record of effective leadership.

During the 1990s, Siew was an effective economic planner, heading the Cabinet’s Council for Economic Planning and Development, as well as serving as Economic Affairs minister during a time of robust economic growth.

He also headed the Cabinet’s Mainland Affairs Council before being named to the post of premier between 1997 and 2000.

Siew has also successfully represented our country at important international gatherings, most notably leaders’ meetings of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

Remarkably, Siew has even accumulated experience running for the office of vice president, as he filled out the ticket of Lien Chen during Lien’s failed bid for president in 2000.

The choice of Siew came as a surprise to many observers, since Siew had resigned his position as a vice-chairman of the KMT in 2005 after coming under criticism from KMT hardliners for providing economic advice to the incumbent administration of President Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). However, Ma’s choice of Siew was extremely adept for many reasons.

Since Ma is a “Mainlander,” he was almost certain to choose a “Taiwanese” running mate whose ancestors have lived in Taiwan for generations.

Siew is a native of Chiayi in southern Taiwan, where KMT support has traditionally been weaker, and he once managed to defeat DPP heavyweight Trong Chai in a legislative election contest dubbed the “battle of the century.”

But Siew’s appeal reaches far beyond mere ethnicity.

Siew’s economic expertise will be a big plus for Ma’s ticket, since economic decline is one of Taiwan’s biggest problems and will surely take a front seat in the upcoming election.

Since leaving public office, Siew has actively taken part in private think tanks advocating a closer economic relationship with mainland China, and he can confidently address issues dealing with cross-strait relations.

Siew has also cultivated close working relationships with leaders across the entire political spectrum, especially former President Lee Teng-hui.

The nomination of Siew to run on Ma’s ticket is expected to help Ma garner support from the KMT’s “local faction” that developed and grew under Lee’s leadership and had been closely aligned with Ma’s rival for the presidential nomination, Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng.

Shortly after the news broke that Siew would be Ma’s running mate, officials with the camp of Ma’s DPP rival for the presidency, Frank Hsieh, claimed to be glad that Ma had selected an “old face” who was said to lack new ideas.

However, Hsieh’s camp would be gravely mistaken to think that the selection of Vincent Siew will not have a sizable impact on Ma’s chances of winning. Now that Ma has chosen his running mate, the pressure will fall on Hsieh to come up with a partner who can match the experience and leadership capabilities of “Smiling Siew.”

Given the fact that time-tested capable leaders are in short supply within the DPP’s ranks, Hsieh will be hard-pressed to come up with a running mate who can match Siew’s status.

The nomination of Siew has also raised the specter of restoring prestige and credibility to the office that outgoing Vice President Annette Lu has done much to denigrate by making thoughtless remarks and by publicly sparring with President Chen.

The prospect of having a capable administrator ready and able to assume the duties of the nation’s highest office if so required will surely be a factor for many voters, after years of worrying that Annette Lu might end up taking the reins of government.

We hope the DPP’s Hsieh will take the office of vice president as seriously as Ma has, by choosing a wise and capable running mate who can effectively compete with someone of Siew’s stature.

Hsieh may have to seriously consider bringing one of his former rivals on board, such as former Premier Su Tseng-chang, in order to match the star power of Siew next March.

If both major parties end up assembling equally strong tickets, the people of Taiwan will “win” no matter who ends up garnering the most votes.

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