Who is Lee Teng -Hui?

Hai friends in this article we will discuss about the famous personality who was the  president of the Taiwan for about 12 years from 1988 to 2000 and he is none other than Lee Teng-hui, as he served as the president of the country from 13th January 1988 to 20th May 2000.In the history of Taiwan, he is considered as the popular president of all time.The reformation of the Taiwan's political system was possible only because of Lee Teng - Hui as he was responsible for making Taiwan  more democratic.

About his Early life...

Lee was born on 15th january 1923,  in Sanchih,which is  a small farming community near Taipei, Taiwan's capital and it is also the largest city in the country.His father was not a rich man but could able to manage the local irrigation service,which was an important job during that time in a rice-farming region. When he was young,the country of Taiwan was under the colony of Japan, as Japan captured the island in 1985 from China during a war .

This island consists of more than 99% Chinese population and inspite of this majority population many were not allowed to continue their higher education.But fortunately Lee was lucky as he was one of the only four Chinese students in his high school class and he ultimately graduated with honors and also got a scholarship from Kyoto Imperial University in Japan, which he attended in 1945.The picture ebelow shows Lee at his young age

Back to Taiwan for its development

In this section we will discuss how Lee was able to help for the developmnt of Taiwan after finishing his higher studies in USA and returned to taiwan.Taiwan was returned to Chinese control when Japan was defeated after the Second World. Lee also entered the National Taiwan University.In 1948, Lee received a bachelor's degree in agricultural science.He was able to get his Masters degree after he was admitted to the University of Iowa in the United States,in 1952 in the discipline of agricultural economics.

After finishing his studies Lee returned to Taiwan and worked as an economist with the Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction (JCRR). With the sponsorship from an institution in USA,Lee was able to rebild the Taiwan's inefficient farm system into modern one.While he was JCRR, Lee was active in establishing these farm associations,and he also modernized the irrigation system.Apart from this he also took care in setting up rural health program

During the 1960's(mid 60's) Lee again  returned to the United States,and this time he  received a doctoral degree in agricultural economics from Cornell University in 1968. After receiving the Doctrate degree he returned to taiwan in 1968, and joined the cabinet as minister without any portfolio, but with special responsibility for agriculture, as he proved to be an expert in this field

This promotion to the central Government made Lee capablities recognized by all people in taiwan. and ultimately in he was appointed mayor of Taipei in 1978.  The Taipei's chronic water shortages. was set u and the credit goes to Lee as he was responsible for instituting the region's reservoir system.Apart from this he is also responsible for creating  modern sewage system. All these activities made Lee governor of Taiwan province in 1981 an with the help of this powerhe was able to introduce the new irrigation system and other reforms.

Ultimate role for Lee

President Chiang Ching-kuo chose Lee as his vice-presidential running mate in 1984  and they also able to win the election. It was during that time, where the president and vice president were elected by the National Assembly, acting as an electoral college. This win by Lee made him as the first person of Taiwan descent to be at a major position in the Government, becausre before the government had been dominated by mainland Chinese who had retreated to Taiwan with President Chiang Kai-shek, Chiang Ching-kuo's father, after Communist armies captured all of mainland China in 1949.

The president at that yime Chiang Ching-kuo had started the process of liberalizing Taiwan's government and its single-party ruling system and he also ended the Martial Law in 1987 which was inmposed from 1949.But Chiang Ching-kuo died suddenly in January 1988 and  this made the Vice president Lee to succeeded him as president and leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party
Lee as the president

During his presedential period,Lee completelt reformed and democratized the political system of Taiwan He alsoended the one-party dictatorship and he also created a multiparty parliamentary system. He was also responsible for making the posts of governor of Taiwan and mayor of Taiwan's major cities elective, rather than being appointed. Lee was elected president for a six-year term by the National Assembly,in March 1990 and after that he immediately set about amending the constitution to be democratic so that President can be elected by the people through vote.It was in March 1996, Taiwan’s first direct presidential election and Lee managed to win  the election with 55 percent of the vote.

Lee worked to ensure the continued prosperity and security of Taiwan in the face of threats from the People's Republic of China (PRC). China claims sovereignty over Taiwan based on past centuries of imperial Chinese control and is politically embarrassed by the island's functioning democratic institutions. As Lee attempted to secure a closer relationship with the United States and a greater measure of international acceptance for Taiwan, China responded with military threats and conducted military exercises near Taiwan that included firing missiles.

His Defeat

However during the March 2000 reelection as his part vice presidential candidate was defeated by the opposite party  by the candidate Chen Shui-bian and this marked the end of 50 years domination of the Lee's party. Naturally Lee took responsibility for the defat and stepped down as the leader of the patrty.Eventhough lots of controversy arouse after 2000, when he stepped down from the President,he is still consider one of the famous person in Taiwan history.The image below shows the Biography o Lee Teng - Hui written by Richard Kagan

We take great pride in the fact that our country India is the biggest democracy in the world.  When an election is held in India, the entire world watches in eager anticipation.  Many countries in the World are in awe of our democratic set up and they consider Democracy in India as the benchmark.

Some countries in the world have a  Presidential set up, wherein Present is given the entire powers and more often that not the people have to bear the brunt of dictatorship.  There are few countries which even today are ruled by Kings.  If you compare our democratic set up we have a far better system than other countries in the world.

However there are some flaws in our system which needs to be looked into.  We know well in advance who is our candidate for a particular party to whom we are going to vote.  These days thanks to information on the web, we are also aware of our candidate's credentials as to how clean he is, or how many criminal cases or corruption cases are filed against them.  The information system also let us know as to how many parties the candidates have defected to in their career.

However there is one very important information for which we do not have access to.  The political parties do not declare their Chief Ministerial or Prime Ministerial candidate in advance as  in the  current system Chief Minister or Prime Minister is selected by the MLAs or MPs after the election.  The flaw in the current system is that the Chief Minister or Prime Minister need not necessarily be chosen on merit by the MLAs or MPs.  The selection could be either for the sake of convenience or internal political compulsions to accommodate a person.  It could also be just for the sake of honoring some unofficial  pre poll committments not informed to the public in advance.

In this regard a ammendment is required in our electoral system, wherein political parties need to declare the name of their Chief Miniesterial's and Prime Ministerial candidates well before the election so as to enable us to cast our vote to a person under whose govervance we feel secure.

Regards

Satish

Its always been seen and heard that our elders complain that today's Youth think differently . They complain that the mindsets of the younger generation has changed . And well , as a matter of fact , its true ! Youngistaani's today tend to think differently , almost totally different from the thoughts of the past . And well , i say this with what i've observed rather than some mere thoughts of mine .
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And the best way to support my thoughts is by the example of Adolf Hitler . The Nazi ruler who's is known for his order of the vast elimination of the Jews and his strict ways . People had touted him as the unwelcomed ruler and hated his thinking and ways . But Youth Today have a completely different way of thinking . I've met many people in my college and my neighbourhood who adore Hitler . Its not that they support his harsh ways but they like the way he had his Power over an entire country . People today dont believe in ruling for a longer period and doing average work . Rather , they prefer a rule which makes a larger impact and that too in a short span of time .
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This may not be for the entire Youth but people's mindset are changing . I know that out of 10 people , 6 would surely select Hitler instead of Mahatma if they were asked to choose a person whose control over power they would like . Its not that they dont respect Mahatama Gandhi but they have their way of thinking . Surprisingly , i myself would have chosen The Nazi Ruler !
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Hilter got power and respect out of sheer fear..though he was always appreciated and spoken high off on the face..behind his back people used to fear him and they would fear if they show that on face they might have to face the worst of things. On the other hand, Gandhiji had his own charm he not only liberated the country and gave it peace n sanity but also earned himself a dignity and respect with loads to love and admiration to go along with.So I dont think 6 out 10 will go in to support someone who was no better than a ruthless being and who cared about no one paring himself and wanted his rule all over .. Least I definitely and strongly will remain in favour of Gandhiji

Hmm, the question is about power and who doesn’t like power? Even the most vociferous opponents of dictatorship, secretly hunger for power. Let’s face it; it’s too difficult to be a real democrat. Even the thoughts out here are more about my rights and other’s rights, no absolute right and wrong. I am sure in every phase of history as is the wont of every historian who undoubtedly is likely to be prejudiced by his or her upbringing and social circumstances, Stalin, Mao, Hitler, Fidel Castro etc would be re-evaluated with some conclusions being that they were right from their viewpoint.
Now let us assume that we decide on a dictatorship/monarchy. We sure will be lucky if we get a great ruler. But what if we are unlucky? What if we get a cruel ruler like Mugabe or Idi Amin? Is it possible to overthrow them? No, we will have to bear with them till they die.

Again for those who ask for dictatorship a question would be who will you choose and how will you choose someone as a Dictator? Would you want an election for a dictator or would you rather he come up on his own? What is the guarantee that he will not screw up the country? However, in a democracy, people at least have a chance to vote out the party they dislike. If we feel that our present democracy is no great shakes, then remember the “ Jago Rae” ad, and blame ourselves for that ! the old adage “ Yadha Raja Tadha Praja” has been turned on its head now to “ Yadha Praja Tadha Raja”.

The historical lesson to be learned, if at all, from the very survival of this "unnatural" nation is that we do not essentially need tangible or well defined entities, or ideologies to survive as a nation. August 15th 1947 was an experiment and it produced better results than the conditions which the RSS's or western intellectual's arguments for a governance would have fetched. Even today, with a long way to go, on hindsight, essentially no one (wo)man rule, however benevolent she or he be, or however ideologically correct (according to whom, is another question), will be able to address the concerns of this "unnatural" nation, with more diversities than unities. We don't need any hard mould symbols to be imposed as Indianism; any such act , to my mind, should be termed barbarism.

Indian strength to stay as a nation comes from the acceptance of its diversities (in form and thoughts). Personally, I do not believe a single person rule (in whatever form) will ever be able to address India’s concerns in totality. To quote Shashi Taroor - "India’s asset is that it was never a melting pot but a thali — an assortment of dishes served together in separate bowls that nonetheless combine to please the palate."
No doubt, a Hitler or a Stalin might be able to increase the national production level by five folds, or if interested, bring people above the poverty level, impose strict standards of discipline etc, but never can a dictator create a sustainable nation and society.

This can sound bit diplomatic but do consider it once.
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I was never against the democracy but somehow I was never with it either. I got to learn this very thing from a film only, here in India; we collect TAXES, which is used by the Indian government for various Social, Economic, Scientific and Militarily operations. Now, here in India only, we got some people who are below the poverty line and lives in some slum areas in various low profile huts. Now to get rid of this slum, Indian government provides them well constructed houses in some society which is actually constructed from the taxes which we pay to the government. Now what actually happens is most of them leave those houses and give it to some tenants on rent to earn some money for their livelihood and lay down another low profile shelter in some another slum. Now can anyone tell me, why in the world this is happening especially when taking over government place is completely illegal and is a capacious crime? The same government who is providing them houses can also stop them from renting it to anyone else and in that process help them get some job instead of just letting them stay on their fate again. Totally waste of the taxes what we pay.
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There are many such instances which I can quote where, Indian government has lacked a lot and has actually turned out to be a big disaster. Why we got corruption? Because, we got diversity in our rulers. Now, you will ask why I brought Indian government in between. That’s because that shows, dictatorship is far better then democracy BUT only when we know the right leader who can solely make the way out of each and every problem and could make a statement in the outer world. Hitler, definitely was one of them and to be frank, if we keep aside all the cruel intentions of his, his thinking about his country was far more impressive.

not saying Gandhi ji’s rule was wrong. He was the main guy behind the India’s independence but somewhere he is the guy behind the death of Bhagat singh and many other freedom fighters who could have achieved the same but in their own way, which might have helped in strengthening the power of India as well.

I dont have any issues with the mindset of the youth changing, but hope its brought about by logic and reason.

Has the youth's mindset really changed and , if yes , is this change really welcomed ??
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The masmerising effect of Gandhiji's life and policies had an impact not only in India but various other parts of world also. Here are few people who have followed Gandhiji's way and later known as Gandhiji in their respective places. They all followed Gandhiji's method of non-violence to achieve their aims.

1) Rajendra Prasad - Bihar Gandhi

2) K Kelappan-Kerala Gandhi

3) C Krishnan Nair-Delhi Gandhi]

4) Ahamed Sukarno-Indonesian Gandhi

5) Aung Sang Zuki-Burmese Gandhi

6) Jomokeniatta - Kenian Gandhi

7) Khan Abdul Gaffer Khan- Border Gandhi

8) Ebrahim Rugova- balkan Gandhi

9) Jerald Fischer-German Gandhi

10) A T Ariyaratna-Srilankan Gandhi

11) Kenneth Kaunda-African gandhi

12) Nelson Mandela- South African Gandhi

13)Martin Luther King(Junior)-American Gandhi