Lee Huan

Lee Huan

Lee Huan ( Chinese  李煥 , Pinyin Lǐ Huàn ; born February 8, 1917 in Hankow , Hubei , † December 2, 2010 in Taipei ) was a Taiwanese politician of the Kuomintang , who was Prime Minister of the Republic of China between 1989 and 1990 .

Life

Lee Huan became a close associate of Chiang Ching-kuo , son of state founder Chiang Kai-shek , in the early 1950s , and was later in charge of the Kuomintang Youth Corps (KMT) before becoming head of the party's organization and training department. As such, he was responsible for the training of later functionaries in the party and government. In the 1970s, he was instrumental in introducing a reform program for so-called "Taiwanization," which emphasized the talents and resources of Taiwan-born residents and ultimately led to the appointment of numerous Taiwan-born people in important positions, while the previous party elite predominantly dated Chinese mainland originated. These reforms, on the other hand, led to growing conservative opposition , especially after the violent incidents in Zhongli in 1977, when mass protests over alleged election fraud had broken out. These political unrest led to Lee's resignation as general director of the KMT's organizational department in 1977. In 1978 he founded the Sun Yat-sen National University (NSYSU) in Kaohsiung , which started operations in 1980 and has developed into one of the leading educational institutions.

On June 1, 1984, Lee Huan was appointed to succeed Chu Hui-sen as Minister of Education in the government of Prime Minister Yu Kuo-hwa because of his knowledge of education . He found public recognition for his educational programs and his respect for intellectuals and educators. He held the post of education minister until July 4, 1987, when he was replaced by Mao Gao-wen , who had been president of Tsing Hua National University until then . He himself succeeded Ma Shu-li as General Secretary of the Kuomintang and thus one of the most influential politicians in the Republic of China. In this function he was the closest collaborator and "right hand man" of Chiang Ching-kuo, who was now President of the Republic of China and chairman of the KMT. As Secretary General, he initiated democratic reforms within the Kuomintang and received grassroots support in particular for his pragmatic and rational handling of Taiwan's problems, in particular the challenges with the political opposition in Taiwan under the regime of the Communist Party of China in mainland China . In 1989 James Soong became the new KMT General Secretary.

Lee Huan himself replaced Yu Kuo-hwa as Prime Minister (President of the Executive Yuan ) on May 21, 1989 . He held this office until June 1, 1990, after which the previous Minister for National Defense Hau Pei-tsun succeeded him.

His marriage to Pan Hsing-ning had four children, including Lee Ching-hua, who was a Member of Parliament ( Legislative Yuan ) from 1993 to 2016 , and Diane Lee, who was between 1993 and 2001 and again from 2008 to 2009 belonged to the Legislative Yuan.

Web link

• Entry in rulers.org

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Taiwan: Presidents of the Executive Yuan (Premiers)

Note: This article places the family name before the person's first name. This is the usual order in Chinese. Lee is the family name here, Huan is the first name.