Ma and Wu: A Winning Ticket?

Ma and Wu: A Winning Ticket?
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
June 20, 2011

No one was surprised when President Ma Ying-jeou formally announced that Premier Wu Den-yih would be his vice presidential running mate. Vice President Vincent Siew attended the press conference. The implication was that he was passing on the torch, and that the watchword was party unity. A Ma/Wu ticket comes neither as a shock, nor as a revelation. It is a sound and logical choice. As Ma Ying-jeou's deputy, Wu Den-yih has joined the campaign while still burdened with his responsibilities as premier. He will have to make an all out effort. Ma defended the government's record, attempting to consolidate voter support.

Most people know that Premier Wu has a way with words, When he was still in college he wrote an essay entitled "The Cross National Taiwan University Graduates Must Bear." It attracted the attention of none less than Chiang Ching-kuo. Before graduating, he wrote an "Open Letter to President Yan Cheng-hsing," entitled "Resign Your Position, Sort Out the Problems at National Taiwan University," welcoming the newly arrived NTU president. At the time, Yan Cheng-hsing was simultaneously holding down positions as Atomic Energy Commissioner and as President of the Executive Yuan Zhongshan Academy of Sciences. Yan called Wu into his office, and listened to what Wu had to say. Two weeks later, he resigned his part-time positions. He devoted his full attention to the National Taiwan University graduation ceremony. Such an exchange was unheard of back then. Even today it strikes one as improbable.

Wu Den-yih's parents were victims of the White Terror. In response to the article he wrote, Chiang Ching-kuo received Wu, humbly and graciously. This left Wu with a highly favorable impression of the Kuomintang. Wu Den-yih once worked at the China Times. But he did not remain a reporter very long. Chiang Ching-kuo hoped to inject new blood into the Taipei City KMT. Then Director of the Youth Corps Lee Huan dropped in on Wu. He wanted to recruit him. Wu Den-yih was taken aback. First of all, he was not from Taipei. Secondly, he had no money and no contacts. Lee Huan told him "If you have no money, all you need is ambition. If you have no contacts, all you need is character. If you are not from Taipei, all you need is to be from Taiwan."

Lee Huan's response was classic. How long has it been since anyone in the KMT has recruited a young person of courage, but without money or contacts? Lee Huan's words inspired Wu Den-yih to take up politics. Henceforth Wu would be known by his nickname, "Wu Kuo-yu," or "Tilapia Wu," after the fish. The implication was that Wu, like a Tilapia, was a hardy. He was always able to adopt to different environments, and make a soft landing, despite always being "parachuted in."

During his term as Taipei City Councilor, Wu Den-yih revealed that the Taipei Yanping branch bank was missing 250 million NT. Back then, that was a huge sum. Most serious of all, the branch manager was a "member of the royal family." He was Chiang Ching-kuo's cousin. That made no difference to Wu Den-yih. The branch manager was sacked and punished just the same. The general manager of the Taipei Bank was punished for inadequate oversight. Other national amd provincial banks were also investigated. Soon afterwards, Lee Huan and Song Shi-hsuan told him, "Well done. You eliminated a public menace. No need to be afraid that you offended anyone."

Upon expiration of his eight year term as Taipei City Councilor, Wu was drafted as Nantou County Chief. Locals mocked him as an "air dropped candidate." The election was hard fought. Among those running for local office at that time was Ilan County Chief Chen Ding-nan. Four years later, both won by landslides. Wu Den-yih spent the same amount on his campaign as before, but won 96 percent of the vote. As one can see, the people of Nantou County held him in the highest esteem. Eight years later, Wu and Chen were named the two best local government heads, by two separate opinion polls.

Many people know that Chen Ding-nan challenged the system of authoritarian rule, He declared war against the Star Chamber. But in fact, so did Wu Den-yi. A civil servant with the Nantou County Government was accused of corresponding with his mother on the Chinese mainland. Wu Den-yih read the accusation. He took time to understand the situation. Without a word, he burned both letters. He established a repuation as someone who listened to the people of the county. A young mother recalled how roads in Nantou County were difficult to navigate. They lacked street lights. She petitioned the county government. To her surprise, she received a personal response from the county chief himself, updating her on the construction progress. This left a deep impression on her. It showed her Wu Den-yih cared.

Soon afterwards, as mayor of a directly administered municipality, Wu Den-yih traveled south to Kaohsiung. Politically, he was a lone wolf. He had nothing to offer local political bosses, That hurt him badly in Kaohsiung. When he was Mayor of Kaohsiung, he liberalized the voting process, His opponent, Frank Hsieh, fabricated audio tapes, creating an election scandal. By the time the tapes were exposed as fakes, it was too late. Wu Den-yih's political fortune had reached its nadir. The KMT also had to confront the pain of ruling party change. Wu Den-yih immediately returned home, and ran for the legislature. He boldly entered the Legislative Yuan, becoming one of the staunchest fighters for the KMT during its time in the opposition.

Years of successes and failures at the county and municipal level, have made Wu Den-yih sensitive to the public mood. Now he has stepped up to the front lines. Now Wu Den-yih's political record, including his time as premier, will be put under the microscope, He may be the most important factor in Ma Ying-jeou's bid for re-election. He will inevitably be caught up in the contest. He need not worry about transition or succession. The Ma/Wu ticket is set. This ticket may give the KMT a new lease on life. The decision is up to the voters.

馬吳配能否勝選 考驗才要開始
2011-06-20 中國時報

毫無意外地，馬英九總統正式對外宣布，他將邀請現任行政院長吳敦義搭檔競選連任，副總統蕭萬長連袂出席記者會，意味傳承和團結。「馬吳配」跌不破眾人的眼鏡，談不上讓人眼睛一亮，卻是當下合乎邏輯的穩妥布局。做為馬英九的副手，吳敦義帶職參選，勢必得要全面發揮戰鬥力，為馬政府的政績辯護，並以此爭取選民支持。

多數人都知道吳揆口才便給，但他能在就學期間以〈台大人的十字架〉一文，受到蔣經國的賞識，並崛起政壇，絕非只靠一張嘴而已；他在大學畢業前，還以一篇〈辭去兼職，辦好台大─向閻振興校長進一言〉，「歡迎」才到任的台大校長。當時，閻振興同時兼任行政院原子能委員會主委和中山科學院院長，閻把他找進辦公室，聽吳侃侃而談後，於半個月內先後辭去兩個兼職，以專任台大校長的身分主持畢業典禮。這樣的對話場景，甭說是當年，連現今都是罕見的。

吳敦義家中長輩也曾受過白色恐怖之苦，他自己坦言蔣經國因為一篇文章接見他時的親切謙和，讓他對國民黨有了好感。吳敦義曾在中國時報任職，但擔任記者的生涯並不長，蔣經國希望國民黨在台北市能推出試驗性的新人，當時的救國團主任李煥找上門來，吳敦義錯愕不已，一來他不是台北人，二來他沒錢沒人脈，李煥告訴他：「沒錢有志氣就好，沒人脈有人品就好，不是台北人沒關係，只要住在台灣就好！」

李煥此言迄今仍是經典，試問：多少年了，國民黨務系統沒人再有此膽識，啟用沒錢沒人脈的年輕人！就是李煥這番話，從此讓吳敦義踏上政治這條路，也從此有了「吳郭魚」的綽號，意思是他是能在各種不同環境、擁有最強存活能力的民選政治人物，永遠能順利達陣的「空降部隊」。

台北市議員任內，吳敦義揭發台北銀行延平分行被掏空二億五千萬，這在當年是多麼大的數字，最嚴重的是該分行經理竟是皇親國戚─蔣經國的表弟！吳敦義照打不誤，此人遭撤職查辦，北銀總經理亦以監督不周受連帶處分，其他國、省營行庫則同步調查。不久後，李煥和宋時選分別告訴他，「做得好，為民除害，不必怕得罪什麼人。」

八年台北市議員期滿，他被徵召回南投參選縣長，被家鄉人譏評為「空降」，選得並不輕鬆，同期競選地方首長者還有宜蘭縣長陳定南；四年後，兩人分別高票連任，吳敦義以同額競選、百分之九十六的高得票率勝選，可見他在南投縣民心中的地位；八年後，吳、陳兩人分別被民意調查基金會評選為縣市首長中兩位績效最佳的「首席」。

很多人知道陳定南挑戰威權體制，向人二室宣戰，其實，當年吳敦義也因為縣內一位公務員和滯留大陸的母親通信，吳敦義接到檢舉信，了解情況後，二話不說，同樣一把火燒掉了人二資料。他創下與縣民有約，親身聆聽民意，一位年輕媽媽回憶，當年南投山路難行，連路燈都沒有，她向縣府陳情，沒想到縣長親自回信，告訴她工程進度，讓她對吳敦義的用心印象深刻。

緊接著，吳敦義又以官派直轄市長身分，南下高雄，他的政治孤鳥性格，不與地方政治家族利益交換，使他在高雄受傷頗重，特別在高雄市長開放民選一役，他的對手謝長廷以一捲造假的緋聞錄音帶重創其選情，雖然事後證明錄音帶是假的，卻再還不了吳敦義一個公道。吳敦義面臨政治生命的低潮期，國民黨同樣面臨政權更迭之痛，吳敦義立刻回鄉參選立委，迅速挺起腰桿，進入立法院，成為國民黨在野期間的國會主戰力之一。

多年地方縣市長成功與失敗的經歷，讓吳敦義能更敏銳地回應民意需求。當然，既然已經登上火線，吳敦義的從政紀錄與閣揆政績也勢必將被放大檢視，他可能是馬英九競選連任最關鍵的一門重砲，但也難免捲入殺伐激烈的選戰對決中。不必考慮是過渡還是接班，馬吳配的陣式已經排開，這個組合能否為國民黨打開另一個新局，就看選民的評判了。