Lu blamed Chen Shui-bian yesterday for the political stalemate over the past seven years. Lu, far behind Premier Su Tseng-chang and his predecessor Frank Hsieh in voter support, told a press meeting at the Taipei county government that the impasse resulted from what has come to be known as President Chen's betrayal of Lien Chan in 2000.
President Chen assured Lien, then chairman of the Kuomintang, that construction of Taiwan's fourth nuclear power plant would continue.
As Lien walked out of the Office of the President after his meeting with Chen, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung announced the suspension of the project.
"That is the cause of the disharmony between the ruling and opposition parties that has continued till this day," the vice president told reporters covering Taiwan's most populous county. The project was resumed in 2001, and Taiwan paid a heavy penalty to contractors for the suspension of work.
She broke her silence to take President Chen to task, mindful of the tacit support he is giving his premier, who is running neck and neck with Frank Hsieh as most likely candidate for the nation's highest public office in poll after poll.
Chen, however, denied that he is supporting Su Tseng-chang as the standard bearer for the ruling party.
The vice president also questioned the criminal investigation of the mystery-shrouded shooting incident on March 19, 2004.
Two shots were fired against Chen and Lu in Tainan by a gunman, who police said was attempting to assassinate the president. The assassin, according to the police, committed suicide, while the smoking gun was not found.
But underground radio stations in southern Taiwan spread rumors that the assassination attempt was orchestrated by Beijing to get Lien Chan elected. Chen and Lu were reelected on the following day, thanks to sympathy votes cast for them. The winning margin was a paper-thin 0.2 percent.
Both Su and Hsieh were blasted by the vice president, who declared on Sunday Taiwan should have a female president in 2008 to mark a big step forward towards democracy.
Like Hsieh, Yu Shyi-kun served as premier. Yu, DPP chairman, is seeking the nomination for 2008.
"Just look at what they have done as premiers," Lu said. All three, including Su, had a financial storm on their hand. "Where was their crisis management capability?" she asked.
The latest crisis was triggered by Wang You-theng, ex-chairman of the Rebar group, whose Chinese Bank was taken over by the government after a panic run. Wang is under detention in the United States, and Taiwan hopes to have him extradited to face trial.
Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Kuomintang, was not missed, either.
"As mayor of Taipei," the vice president said, "Ma incurred a huge city government debt." Ma is the frontrunner in the 2008 presidential race.
At a Tainan rally, Premier Su parroted President Chen's pet doctrine of "one country on either side of the Taiwan Strait." Beijing considers Chen a "separatist."
"That should be the principle we should follow," Su said, indirectly criticizing Frank Hsieh for allegedly trying to keep the Constitution of the Republic of China.
Hsieh said Monday he "just borrowed" the title of the Republic of China, because it is necessary. The fact is that every aspirant is trying to be the president of the Republic of China, which still has diplomatic relations with a little more than a score of countries around the world.
