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Updated Wednesday, November 18, 2009 9:20 am TWN, The China Post news staff

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KMT lawmaker did well to confess his affair

It is not this paper's responsibility to pass judgment on an elected official's private life. These types of private indiscretions are issues that are best left to the two parties in the affected marriage. It is also regrettable that the identity of the woman Wu was with was made public, as, while she is technically also a guilty party, Wu is the married public figure and therefore the only one who can ethically be “named and shamed.” That said, when politicians stray, the people who elected them have the right to reassess the person's qualifications and decide if their private behavior has a bearing on their public work.

To his credit Wu did not attempt to take a page from former U.S. President Bill Clinton and dance around the issue. Wu quickly and bluntly accepted his guilt, sparing the public another ridiculous denial such as Grand Justice Cheng Chung-mou's story a few years back that he had taken a female assistant professor to a motel because “her stomach wasn't feeling well.” The judge later resigned from his post. Lawmaker Wu was blunt in his confession, saying his wife was very upset with his behavior and admitting that what happened in the motel room was “exactly what everyone imagined happened.”

Wu's quick admission seems to fit a recent trend. Rather than attempting to minimize their actions, many busted politicians are learning that the best way out of a cheating scandal is to address it head on.

The governor of the U.S. State of South Carolina took the confession route earlier this year after he was found to have made official state visits to Argentina that included dalliances with a girlfriend. Governor Sanford was hailed by some for addressing the issue more maturely than most as he detailed the anguish he felt over being torn between a lover and his wife. Sanford's candor however may not be enough to keep South Carolinians from voting him out of office next year.

It can be difficult for many voters to decide whether infidelity is grounds for dismissal. In some cases — as with former New York governor Spitzer — the overwhelming cry was in favor of his stepping down, which Spitzer did. Other times the sentiment seems to be that as long as the person is doing a decent job — as in the case of the scandalized and impeached Bill Clinton — their private misdeeds can be left alone. The people who elected lawmaker Wu will have to decide if his good deeds outweigh his private lies.

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