Lien Chan vs. Lee Teng-hui: Dragon Whisperer vs. Dragon Slayer

Lien Chan vs. Lee Teng-hui: Dragon Whisperer vs. Dragon Slayer
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
September 13, 2012

Summary: Politicians must not engage in the arrogant abuse of power. They must wisely ride the currents of history. Lee Teng-hui enjoyed momentary success. But in the end he was swept into the dustbin of history. Lien Chan suffered momentary defeat. But in the end he successfully altered the course of history. Lien Chan and Lee Teng-hui left behind very different historical legacies. One was a failed dragonslayer. The other was a successful "dragon whisperer."

Full Text below:

Lee Teng-hui has long insisted that "Diaoyutai belongs to Japan." Yesterday Lee commented publicly on the Japanese government's "purchase" of the Diaoyutai Islands. Lee said, "If the son of some family is marrying a beautiful bride, what concern is it of ours?"

At the same moment, Lien Chan was leading a delegation to the APEC summit in Haishengwei (aka Vladivostok). He personally met with Mainland President Hu Jintao. He also met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Fifty-two years ago, Chiang Kai-shek met with Dwight Eisenhower. Suddenly Lien Chan was participating in the first meeting between ROC and USA leaders in 52 years. He reopened the door to TIFA negotiations. Suddenly he was participating in the first meeting between ROC and Japanese leaders in 55 years. He was negotiating fisheries issues. These events all originated with Lien Chan's 2005 "ice-breaking journey" to Beijing, when he met with met Hu Jintao.

Lien Chan's political life "owed its success to Lee Teng-hui," but also "owed its failure to Lee Teng-hui." In the end however, Lien was able to reverse his fortunes. He was able to rise from where he had fallen. Lien fell because of Lee Teng-hui. In 2000, Lee Teng-hui fully supported Lien Chan. Lien Chan was his designated successor. But the chaos brought upon by Lee Teng-hui pulled the rug out from under the KMT. Naturally it also pulled the rug out from under Lien Chan. History shows that the KMT's failure in 2000 was Lee Teng-hui's failure. Lien Chan was the fall guy who unjustly suffered the consequences.

Contrast Lien Chan and Lee Teng-hui. Lien Chan rode the currents of history and made a comeback. Lee Teng-hui misread history. He abused his power. He sowed the seeds of his own destruction. Lee Teng-hui occupied the office of president for 12 years. He expanded his powers far beyond their lawful limits. He thought he could distort history. In the end however history had the final word and Lee fell from grace. Lee Teng-hui undermined Lien Chan. He caused his failure. But when Lien Chan fell from power and hit rock bottom, he accurately read history. He wisely rode the currents of history. He became the former national leader who exerted the greatest influence on history since the lifting of martial law.

Contrast this with Lee Teng-hui's incoherent babbling and Chen Shui-bian's physical incarceration. Whether a politician is a success or a failure is not determined by how much power he might have wielded at one time. It is determined by whether he can accurately read history and successfully direct the course of history.

Lien Chan's 2005 "ice-breaking trip" was an example of directing history and making history. Hu Jintao responded to Lien Chan. The two guided the two sides toward the "five visions of peaceful development." They directed history and made history. As a result Lien Chan became the clear choice for APEC leader. At Haishengwei he and the outgoing Hu Jintao will hold their final meeting as heads of state. Lien Chan has made history. The future of cross-Strait history will be written in the language of the 2005 Lien/Hu summit.

Now look back at Lee Teng-hui. He is a headless fly, lost in the fog of history. At his height he was credited with the "National Unification Guidelines." He later demoted himself to "Godfather of Taiwan independence." He nearly destroyed the Kuomintang. Fortunately it was saved by Lien Chan. He held Chen Shui-bian hostage and destroyed the DPP. He insisted that "Diaoyutai belongs to Japan." He insisted that the "Republic of China no longer exists." In 2007, Lee Teng-hui watched as Ma Ying-jeou was elected president. He told the Hong Kong media that "I am not the Godfather of Taiwan independence. I never advocated Taiwan independence." When the Ma administration stumbled, he reversed himself. He clung to Tsai Ing-wen's apron strings. When Ma Ying-jeou won a second term, and the cross-Strait situation stabilized, Lee said "Shouting Taiwan independence is useless." What is this but the behavior of a fly with its head cut off?

Lee Teng-hui's political philosophy values power above all else. It assumes that if one wields enough power, one can ignore history. It assumes that any history one does not like can be cast as a fire-breathing dragon, to be slain by a self-appointed dragonslayer. Lien Chan's political philosophy is different. He had no desire to pose as dragonslayer. He chose instead to climb onto the back of the dragon. He chose to ride the dragon. He chose to ride the currents of history. Today, self-styled dragonslayer Lee Teng-hui is black and blue all over. He is hiding in a corner. He denies ever behing a dragonslayer. Lien Chan never presumed to be a dragonslayer. Instead, he turned out to be a skilled "dragon whisperer." No one can deny that he brought about cross-Strait "peaceful development."

Lee Teng-hui destroyed himself. He nearly undermined an entire generation of Blue and Green political talent, including Chen Shui-bian. Lien Chan and Ma Ying-jeou may be the only two political leaders not destroyed by Lee Teng-hui. Lien Chan escaped from the smouldering ruins left behind by Lee Teng-hui. He turned Lee Teng-hui's failure into his own success. The opportunities created by cross-Strait "peaceful development" enabled Ma Ying-jeou to stand on Lien Chan's shoulders. Lien Chan says, "My conscience is clear." Who can deny the truth of that?

Politicians must not engage in the arrogant abuse of power. They must wisely ride the currents of history. Lee Teng-hui enjoyed momentary success. But in the end he was swept into the dustbin of history. Lien Chan suffered momentary defeat. But in the end he successfully altered the course of history. Lien Chan and Lee Teng-hui left behind very different historical legacies. One was a failed dragonslayer. The other was a successful "dragon whisperer."

History is full of paradoxes. Lee Teng-hui said that Diaoyutai belongs to Japan. Will a future historian wonder whether Lee Teng-hui actually belonged to Taiwan?

連戰vs.李登輝：御龍者與屠龍者
【聯合報╱社論】
2012.09.13

一向夸夸其談主張「釣魚台是日本的」的李登輝，昨天露面被問及，居然說日本政府購下釣魚台，是「人家的兒子要討漂亮老婆，干我們何事？」

正在此際，連戰以領袖代表身分參加在海參崴舉行的ＡＰＥＣ，親會中國國家主席胡錦濤，又會美國的領袖代表國務卿希拉蕊、日本首相野田佳彥及新加坡總理李顯龍；一時之間，連戰參與了五十二年前蔣中正會艾森豪以來台美首次的「元首級」會晤，重啟了ＴＩＦＡ的談判大門；又完成了五十五年前蔣中正會岸信介以來首度的台日「元首級」會晤，為漁業談判鋪墊；這一切，可謂均與連戰在二○○五年赴北京首晤胡錦濤的「破冰之旅」脈絡相連。

連戰的政治人生，曾是「成也李登輝」，亦是「敗也李登輝」，但最後他又從李登輝給他造成的失敗中重新站起。李登輝曾全力提攜連戰，以連戰為二○○○年的接班人；但李登輝當時造成的亂局與頹勢已不能支撐國民黨，自然也支撐不住連戰。歷史已十分清楚地指出：二○○○年的失敗是李登輝的失敗，連戰可謂是替罪者。

以連戰與李登輝對照，連戰因騰駕歷史而再起，李登輝則因誤判歷史、玩弄權力而致自貽伊戚。李登輝在十二年的總統大位上，將自己的權力擴張至極大程度，以致自認可以扭曲歷史，最後卻抵擋不住歷史的反撲，落至一敗塗地；而連戰則在李登輝給他造成的失敗中，且在他自己跌落權力谷底之際，回應歷史，騰駕歷史，儼然成為解嚴後最能影響歷史並創造歷史的卸任政治首長。

且看此時李登輝的喃喃自語，及陳水扁的身繫囹圄，即知政治人物的終極成敗不在曾經擁有多大的權力，而在能夠洞燭歷史、騰駕歷史。

連戰的二○○五年破冰之旅，正是騰駕歷史、創造歷史；胡錦濤對連戰的回應，並將兩岸自此導向「和平發展五願景」，亦是騰駕歷史、創造歷史。連戰因而成為ＡＰＥＣ「領袖代表」的不二人選，此次在海參崴與即將卸任的胡錦濤二人舉行最後一次「元首級」會晤，這是連戰自己創造的歷史，相信未來的兩岸歷史亦將延承二○○五年連胡會的筆路語法繼續寫下去。

回頭看李登輝，此時他已如迷失在歷史重霧中的無頭蒼蠅。他從「國統綱領」，跌到「台獨教父」。他幾乎毀了國民黨（如果不是連戰救起），又挾持陳水扁而毀了民進黨。他說「釣魚台是日本的」，因為他主張「中華民國已不存在」。在二○○七年，李登輝眼看馬英九將當選總統，竟對香港媒體說：「我不是台獨教父，從來沒有主張過台獨。」接著，見到馬政府腳跟不穩，又回頭去抱蔡英文；等到馬連任，兩岸大勢已定，他又說：「喊台獨沒有用。」這正是一隻無頭蒼蠅嗡嗡嗡亂飛的景象。

在李登輝的政治哲學中，顯然認為權力可以強過一切，甚至可以勝過歷史；面對他不喜歡的歷史真貌，他將歷史視為惡龍，而自以為是可使歷史一刀斃命的屠龍者；但連戰的政治哲學顯然不同，他不會想扮演不知量力的屠龍者，而是設法攀上巨龍的脊背，騰駕巨龍，騰駕歷史。如今見到的屠龍者李登輝遍體鱗傷，甚至一再退縮牆角，否認自己是屠龍者；連戰未能屠龍，卻是身手不錯的御龍者，沒有人能否定他為兩岸帶來「和平發展」的御龍效應。

李登輝毀了自己，也幾乎毀了整整一代的台灣藍綠政治菁英，包括陳水扁在內。最後沒有毀在李登輝手下的，大概只有連戰和馬英九二人；而連戰不但從李登輝給他造成的廢墟中再起，甚至將李登輝的失敗化作自己的政治養分，因而為兩岸創造了「和平發展」的契機，馬英九亦在連戰的心血鋪墊上出發。連戰自稱「俯仰無愧」，誰曰不是？

政治人物不可狂妄地玩弄權力，而須明智地騰駕歷史。李登輝曾在現實中一時成功，卻敗於歷史之中；連戰則曾在現實中一時失敗，但成於歷史之中。這是連戰與李登輝留下的歷史對照，也是屠龍者與御龍者的對比。

歷史充滿弔詭。李登輝說：釣魚台是日本的。在未來的歷史中，有一天也許會有人問：李登輝是不是台灣的？