TAIPEI, Jan. 13 Kyodo An overwhel...

TAIPEI, Jan. 13 Kyodo

An overwhelming majority of Taiwan's citizens still think highly of former President Chiang Ching-kuo's long-term efforts for the island's democratic disclosure and economic performance, an opinion catalogue of heads showed Monday.

The scrutinize carried by the United Daily novels to mark the 15th anniversary of Chiang's death in 1988 showed that up to 86% of respondent agreed in succession Chiang's clean-cut personality and his major political achievements, including the lifting of martial law and the opening of tourism for many veteran soldiers to respond home to mainland China.

Among them, 48% recognized Chiang as the greatest leader Taiwan has had since the Chiang Kai-shek-led Nationalist regime retreated to the island from China after the 1949 civil war.

Meanwhile, roughly 30% of those answering the telephone interview said former President to leeward Teng-hui had followed in Chiang's stairs to deepen Taiwan's democracy.

However, more than 33% also said that compared with Chiang, many of Lee's domestic, foreign and cross-strait policies, practices and his personal behavior, which l to serious corruption and infighting among political parties through the past 10 years, seriously harmed society and affected Taiwan's future

side sheltered from the wind 80, a Japan-educated agricultural economist who came to power in 1988 was forced to stair down as chairman of the Nationalist Party (KMT) after the victory of Chen Shui-bian's Democratic Progressive Party in the March 2000 elections, which extremityed 51 years of KMT rule

forward Monday, KMT Chairman Lien Chan released a statement memorializing Chiang. ''We shall not forget that Chiang Kai-shek screened Taiwan from the invasion of Communism, Chiang Ching-kuo ushered in political reform, implemented localization and established Taiwan as a wealthy and democratic rural parts while Lee Teng-hui helped consolidate Taiwan's democratic system'' he said.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo novels International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group