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Updated Friday, September 11, 2009 9:09 am TWN, The China Post news staff

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Wu, Chu qualified to serve

He then moved back to his native Nantou, where he was elected Nantou County commissioner twice in 1981 and 1985.

After he was appointed by former President Lee to serve as Kaohsiung's last unelected mayor in 1990, he handily defeated his DPP rival for mayor when elections were reinstated in 1994.

Four years later, Wu was defeated in his bid for re-election by Frank Hsieh, who benefited from a last-minute audio recording purported to be Wu exchanging sexual banter with a female reporter on the phone.

The salacious recording, which was later proven to be a fake, helped Hsieh edge out Wu by a mere 3,000 votes.

Wu eventually returned to Nantou, where he was elected to the legislature twice.

Wu's father Wu Hsi-tsai was a prominent figure in Nantou County and served as the first secretary-general of the Nantou County Farmers' Association and a Nantou County Council deputy after the Japanese left Taiwan in 1945.

Like many community leaders of his time, Wu Hsi-tsai was arrested and jailed in the wake of the Feb. 28, 1947 Incident before being released.

Having served as the KMT's secretary-general, Wu has plenty of experience with coordinating between different organizations.

As for the accusation about trying to help the KMT win elections, there is no doubt that DPP-appointed premiers worked to boost their party's standing in elections as well.

There is no reason why Wu could not work to rebuild typhoon-ravaged areas of central and southern Taiwan and improve the ruling KMT's image with the voters at the same time.

The former president's thinly-veiled criticism of Wu most likely stems from animosity dating back to 1996, when Lee was challenged by former Judicial Yuan President Lin Yang-kang for the presidency.

At the time, Wu was reluctant to come out against his fellow Nantou native Lin, angering Lee and his close advisers.

Even so, everyone would be wise to heed Lee's advice about giving Wu a chance to get sworn in and move into his office at the Executive Yuan before heaping criticism upon him.

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