For The Reasons Of Recalling President Chen That Some Legislators' Reveal Their Ugly Inside.-

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Adding fuel to the partisan fray, opposition lawmakers yesterday accused President Chen Shui-bian of having affairs with his English secretary, charges the Presidential Official slammed as a gross political stunt.

Meanwhile, ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators claimed that People First Party Chairman James Soong is behind the mud-slinging in an attempt to pave the way for his 2004 presidential bid.

Speaking through an aide, Soong threatened to take the accuser to court.

The latest war of words erupted when Kuomintang lawmaker Liu Chen-hung challenged Chen to shed light on an alleged Taiwan version of “the Lewinsky scandal” --- an affair between U.S. President Bill Clinton and White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Liu, quoting the preface from ex-Premier Tang Fei’s newly released memoir, said that some presidential aides frown on suspicious ties between the president and his English secretary Hsiao Bih-kim.

The pessimists, Liu said, caution of an impending outbreak of a Taiwan version of the Lewinsky scandal, which led to the ensuing impeachment trial of Clinton.

Liu’s fellow colleague Hsiao Chin-lan deplored what she observed as Chen’s failure to engage in soul-searching.

“The president apparently has a penchant for keeping novice advisers.”

Taking a step further, Chen Chao-jung, a lawmaker from the People First Party (PFP), told reporters the president had a rendezvous with the secretary after a high-profile meeting with Soong last month.

He pressed President Chen to come forward and tell the nation where he was after the Chen-Soong talk and what had transpired at his residence later that night.

Seeking to quell the rumor, the Presidential Office called a hurried news conference in the afternoon, blasting political foes for cooking up the story in a bid to remove Chen from office.

He called on the public to condemn what he tagged as the most lowly means of propaganda to advance self-seeking purposes. “We must not tolerate malign mud-slinging against the nation’s leader,” Yu said.

The top presidential aide also advised the press against pandering to the morbid interests of demagogues who show blatant disregard for truth when pointing their fingers at rivals.

Hsiao Bih-kim, the president’s alleged mistress, ascribed the rumor in part to her gender, saying the fact that she is young and single caused her critics to purposely overlook her talent.

She sounded depressed, although saying she has braced herself for the scandal following the release of the disputed book.

Chien said Soong set up a propaganda unit right after the Saturday meeting with KMT Chairman Lien Chan and New Party convener Hau Lung-bin. Chou Yu-ko, who co-authored Tang’s memoir, is named to head Soong’s propaganda panel, the DPP official claimed, adding that a PFP lawmaker tipped him off with the information.

He added that Tang, presently in the United States, did not know the content of the preface to his memoir before his departure.

Defending Soong’s innocence, PFP spokesman Sun Ta-chien said he could not believe the laxity with which DPP lawmakers abuse the freedom of speech.

“The political culture has deteriorated in the last months at odds with the DPP vow to move the country forward,” Sun said, challenging Chien to quit his post if his charge proves to be a sham.

To affirm their loyalty, PFP lawmakers also demanded Chien identify his informant.

In Taiwan that adding fuel to partisan fray, opposition lawmakers on Nov. 14, 2000, accused President Chen Shui-bian of having affairs with his English secretary, charged the presidential office slammed as a gross political stunt.

Meanwhile, ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators claimed that People First Party chairman James Soong is behind the mud-slinging in an attempt to pave the way for his 2004 presidential bid.