During a private trip to his alma mater in the US, former president Lee Teng-hui yesterday appealed to Taiwan's public to cherish the "democratic achievement" that was last year's transfer of power, and urged the people to help President Chen Shui-bian's administration "get safely through the current difficult period."
"President A-bian and his administration should overcome the difficulties safely," Lee said. "Although he is inexperienced [as president], he will gradually find the right course -- when handling foreign policy, cross-strait affairs and economic issues -- having governed for a year now."
Lee was continuing to expound on the political line he had articulated in Los Angeles, Tuesday, and made his remarks during an address at a welcome banquet held by overseas Taiwanese groups, after arriving in Ithaca, New York.
Lee graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca in 1968 with a PhD in agricultural economics.
In 1995, Lee, then Taiwan's president, made a visit to Cornell which sent Taiwan-China and US-China relations into a tailspin. He returned yesterday to attend the inauguration ceremony of the university's Lee Teng-hui Institute for Scientific Research.
In an apparent swipe at opposition politicians, whom he has accused of behaving like sore losers, Lee said the public should give the DPP government and Chen more time to learn.
"Many people are still not used to the fact that power has changed hands, but I am very used to it," Lee said. "Just like someone who has just become a mother-in-law, the DPP government may act in a confused manner. Then the grandmother needs to teach and assist the mother-in-law," Lee said, adding that people in Taiwan and overseas should jointly "nurture" Chen.
The former president also said he felt he could only retire when Taiwan's economic and political situation had been stabilized.
"Some people want me to retire, which had also been my hope initially," Lee said, "but when I saw people creating havoc in Taiwan, I really couldn't tolerate it."
Lee asserted that having already served as president and KMT chairman, he had no further political ambition. "All I'm concerned about is stabilizing Taiwan's political situation."
He also dismissed accusations that he betrayed the KMT to give secret support to the DPP during the presidential campaign, saying he would never do anything of the sort.
"Some people say I secretly colluded with the DPP chairman," Lee said. "That would be treachery. I was the KMT chairman. I am not a disloyal man and I would never do anything like that."
During his 40 minute speech in Hokkien, Lee earned frequent applause from the over 800 overseas Taiwanese present and he responded to the support by saying that he felt shame for failing to fulfill the dreams of all Taiwanese people during his presidency.
"Since I stepped onto the political road, I must walk it to the end," Lee said. "I remembered that there were so many injustices when I was a child and I thought then that this was due to Taiwan's continuous rule by foreign powers. So, when I started my political career, all I was concerned about was how to change the situation."
"I wept during the banquet at Los Angeles when I sang the song titled Formosa, My Dream, because I did not completely carry out my dream during my 12-year presidency."
Lee left Los Angeles yesterday morning for Ithaca, where he received a warm welcome from an adoring crowd.
Supporters drove from as far away as Maryland and Washington to greet Lee, who has been heralded for his firm stance on Taiwanese sovereignty. Lee spent about five minutes shaking hands with members of the crowd.
Although Chinese groups had said they would protest, there were no demonstrators as Lee arrived at the Tompkins County Airport.
〔駐美特派員曹郁芬╱綺色佳報導〕台灣前總統李登輝二十七日對於媒體詢問他將如何幫助阿扁政府時表示，「這個問題不要問我」，要怎樣安定政局是大家的責任，「不是我一個人的責任，台灣一定要安定以後才能發展」。
李登輝原訂廿八日清晨與友人進行九洞的高爾夫球敘，但臨時取消。他在旅館大廳接受媒體訪問時表示，因為行程排得太滿，有些疲累所以取消，不過與他們夫婦熟識多年、也是日本天皇友人、目前在康大客座的日本教授平島特地前來旅館探望他，令他非常開心。
對於中國留美學生廿七日針對他的到訪舉行示威抗議，李登輝回答：「沒有用啦！他們應該要改，我們是民主自由，他們沒有這個普遍價值。」李登輝說，如果他看到抗議學生，要問他們：「你哪裡人？你為什麼不回去告訴你們政府？」他表示，中國人最可憐，北京老百姓被欺負，一點自由民主都沒有，一個國家要給百姓自由民主才有發展，他們不應該被假象所騙。
李登輝對於台灣能參與康大的「奈米科技」研究表示，對他個人及中華民國而言，「李登輝科學研究中心」都是一個很好的開始，因為康大在這方面的研究是領先全球的，他感到很光榮，相信研究成果未來對台灣經濟也有幫助。
他並提醒中國，不是人多就有科學，美國和台灣在這方面仍然領先，大陸不要以為人多地大就什麼都有，可以不要台灣的資金與技術，科學研究必須一步一步去做才有辦法，台灣在這方面非常的強。
〔駐美特派員曹郁芬╱綺色佳報導〕美國在台協會理事主席卜睿哲二十七日下午到康大探訪台灣前總統李登輝，會談中，卜睿哲對台灣政局發展頗為關切，李登輝則表示，台灣政黨輪替剛開始，陳水扁政府不免生疏，但最近的發展已經好多了。
與會者形容兩人會談氣氛經鬆、愉快，基本上是就政治情勢廣泛交換意見。據了解，卜睿哲並未直接詢問李登輝是否有意籌組政團，但他向李登輝說明了布希政府最新的外交政策想法，尤其是對日、對台的外交政策走向。
李登輝廿六日重返母校康乃爾，始終以低調面對此次的私人訪問，不但沒有與任何美國政治人物接觸，也不願再評論國內政局。 與李登輝長年因工作關係建立良好私誼的卜睿哲，廿七日下午特地從華府飛到綺色佳，與李登輝在下榻的史特勒旅館進行約四十五分鐘的晤談，台北駐美代表程建人也在場作陪。
卜睿哲向媒體強調，他與李登輝今年元月才見過面，此次純粹是禮貌性拜會。 卜睿哲與李登輝會談時，除了問候李登輝的健康狀況，透露自己今年七月將嫁女兒等家常話之外，也表示他最近看到一些報導，想了解台灣政局的發展。
李登輝在會談時強調自己對民主、自由的支持，認為台灣出現政黨輪替並沒有什麼不好，陳水扁政府因缺乏經驗而手忙腳亂，應該要給陳水扁時間成長。李登輝並表示，台北政局確實不安，但陳水扁政府最近的表現已經有所改善。
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