Taipei, May 2 (CNA) Never fear being extraordinary, Vice President Annette Lu, who is seeking the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP's) nomination to run for the next presidency, said Wednesday, adding that she is proud of being a female leader and of the way she has conducted herself in a brutal primary.
"I believe that the people of Taiwan are ready for a female president, although some of the DPP supporters are not, " Lu, alluding to a claim by a senior DPP supporter that women are not suited to being a national leader, said in an interview with CNA.
Lu is one of the most prominent female political figures in Taiwan and has always advocated what she describes as the "soft power" that women can bring to the political table.
Citing well-known examples in history, including Elizabeth I of England, Catherine the Great of Russia and Wu Zetian, the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Emperor, Lu said that women are able to achieve great feats just like men.
"And look at German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was named by Forbes Magazine among the most powerful people of 2007, " Lu said, adding that there are 14 female heads of state in the world.
"99.9 percent of wars in history were launched by men. Women can find another way to cope with difficulties, challenges and conflicts," she claimed.
Women also approach politics differently, she said, which is why she has been insisting a "no fund-raising, no mobilization" policy in her DPP primary campaign, hoping to win the approval of party members through her ideals and vision.
Lu expressed hope that her integrity and her accomplishments and dedication in different fields can win the heart of the voters.
A women's movement advocate, Lu became the first female vice president in Taiwanese history in 2000. Before that, she was jailed in the early1980's for her involvement in the opposition movement when the Kuomintang (KMT) was still in power.
She has devoted herself for years to various international affairs, such as Taiwan's bid for a U.N. seat and establishing the Democratic Pacific Union (DPU) and the Pacific Congressional Caucus (PCC).
"If I win the DPP nomination, I believe I can beat Ma Ying-jeou (who is expected to win the KMT nomination soon) in the 2008 presidential election and start writing Taiwan's `her-story', " she said, an apparent mis-reference to the word "history."