Annette Lu

Infobox Vice_President
name=Annette Lu
呂秀蓮

---

nationality=ROC-TW
order=Vice President of the Republic of China
term_start=May 20, 2000
term_end=May 20, 2008
president=Chen Shui-bian
predecessor=Lien Chan
successor=Vincent Siew
birth_date=birth date and age|1944|6|7
birth_place=Taoyuan, Formosa, Annexed dependency of Empire of Japan
death_date=
death_place=
spouse=
party= DPP
alma_mater= National Taiwan University
University of Illinois
Harvard University
profession= Lawyer
occupation= Politician

Annette Lu (zh-tsp|t=呂秀蓮|s=吕秀莲|p=Lǚ Xiùlián; POJ: Lū Siù-liân; born June 7, 1944), a Taiwanese politician, is a former Vice President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and member of the Democratic Progressive Party. Lu is a prominent feminist activist and became the first female vice president in 2000. She announced her intentions to run for president on March 6, 2007, but withdrew her ambitions to rally behind DPP presidential nominee, Frank Hsieh.

Rise in politics

Lu was born in Taoyuan County, in northern Taiwan. After graduating from Taipei First Girls' High School, she studied law at the National Taiwan University. Graduating in 1967, she went on to gain a master's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and another degree from Harvard University. During the 1970s she established herself as a prominent advocate of feminist ideas in Taiwan, which included writing of "New Feminism" or "Xin Nüxing Zhuyi" ( _zh. 新女性主義). She renounced her prior KMT membership also joined the Tangwai movement and worked on the staff of "Formosa Magazine". Surviving throat cancer in 1974, she spoke at the rally that precipitated the Kaohsiung Incident and was subsequently sentenced to 12 years for sedition. She served five years and four months before being given a medical parole due to thyroid cancer. Due to the male-dominated culture and combative nature of Taiwan politics, Lu, like several other female politicians subsequently, was nicknamed a "small chili pepper." She was elected to the Legislative Yuan in 1993. In 1997 she won an election to be a magistrate in Taoyuan, replacing her predecessor, who was murdered.

Vice Presidency, 2000ndash2008

On March 18, 2000, Lu was elected Vice President. She was awarded the World Peace Corps Mission's World Peace Prize in 2001. Controversy erupted over this in Taiwan, with Lu's political opponents accusing her of vastly overstating the significance and value of that award. She was also the ROC's first elected vice president to adopt a Western first name.

In the months leading to the ROC presidential election, 2004 there was intense speculation as to whether she would be again chosen Chen's running mate, as party leaders had pressured him to choose someone else, presumably less controversial and outspoken to appeal to voters. But on December 11, 2003, Chen officially nominated Lu to run for a second term as he could not find a suitable partner.

Lu was a contender for the 2008 presidential election; she announced her candidacy on March 6 and faced Yu Shyi-Kun (current DPP chairman), Frank Hsieh (former DPP chairman, former premier, former Kaohsiung mayor), and Su Tseng-Chang (former DPP chair, incumbent premier) for the nomination.

After receiving only 6.16% of the votes cast in the DPP primary, Vice President Lu withdrew from the race. [ [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/03DAAE4B-820C-4DD8-AD5D-7A1F321E5603.htm "VP quits race for Taiwan presidency"] , "Al Jazeera" May 7, 2007] [ [http://www.chinapost.com.tw/latestnews/200758/45974.htm "Frank Hsieh Confirmed as DPP Standard Bearer"] , "The China Post" May 8, 2007]

Assassination attempt

On March 19, 2004, Lu was shot in the right kneecap during a campaign trip to Tainan. Chen was shot in the abdomen at the same event. Both survived the shooting and left Chi-mei Hospital on the same day. The Pan-Blue Coalition suggested that the shooting was not an assassination attempt but that it was staged to a self-inflicted wound in order to gain sympathy votes. The Chen/Lu ticket won the election on the following day with a 0.228% margin, a figure significant to those who related it the assassination incident.

After the election, she continued to make statements which contributed to a public impression that she was too conversational and tactless. In a June 2004 meeting with expatriates in San Francisco, she proposed to officially rename her country "Taiwan Republic of China" to pacify domestic disputes over Taiwan's identityFact|date=February 2008. However, this drew heat from both sides, ranging from those who wanted to drop the "Republic of China" completely and those who pointed out that her proposal violated the Five Noes. Lu was careful to state that this was just her personal opinion and not an official proposal. She drew more controversy after flooding in Taiwan, in which she made statements which were portrayed as an attack on Taiwanese aborigines for living in flood prone areas.

Political positions

She has been notably more outspoken in favor of Taiwan independence than President Chen Shui-bian, and as such has been more heavily attacked than Chen both by the government of the People's Republic of China as well as by supporters of Chinese reunification on Taiwan.

She has often appeared at odds with Chen, particularly in regard to cross-Strait policy. While Chen initially sent conciliatory signals, Lu has consistently made inflammatory comments to the media. Her confrontational remarks has led state newspapers in mainland China to accuse her of provoking "animosity between the people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits". [ [http://english.people.com.cn/english/200004/17/eng20000417_39057.html "What Is Annette Lu Up To?"] ", People's Daily, 4/17/00"] PRC state media has also labeled Lu as "insane" and a "scum of the earth" in reportings.

Alleged charges

On September 21, 2007, Vice President Lu was indicted on charges of corruption by the Supreme Prosecutor's Office of Taiwan. Lu faces charges of embezzlement and of using false receipts to write-off expenses totalling over US$165,000 from a special governmental account. Yu Shyi-Kun was also indicted on the same day and immediately resigned his chairmanship of the Democratic Progressive Party, he promised he would resign if indicted. On the same day, DPP member and National Security Office Secretary-General Mark Chen was also indicted on corruption charges. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/21/AR2007092102110.html]

ee also

* Politics of the Republic of China
* Democratic Pacific Union

References

External links

* [http://www.president.gov.tw/1_vice_president/e_layer2.html Official homepage]
* [http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/4-oa/politics/vplr20011204.htm Vice President Lu's Remarks of Appreciation for the 2001 World Peace Prize]