Staff Writer When President Ma Ying-jeou named incumbent ruling Kuomintang vice chairman, secretary-general and legislator Wu Den-yih as the new premier, many were caught off guard. There had been none of the typical frenzied speculation in the local media that usually precedes major political appointments, not even widespread talk that the premier and vice premier were to be replaced. Rumors of Wu joining the Cabinet had surfaced many times over the years, then fizzled out. But the one time he was actually picked, there were no leaks of the discussions between him and President Ma Ying-jeou. The tightly guarded process of Wu's appointment typifies his style, which is embodied by one of his pet phrases: 'I know many things, but I cannot reveal any of them.' Wu's appointment will no doubt draw mixed reactions in Taiwan's polarized political environment, but he is unlikely to be fazed by any of it. After all, he has said, 'some people see a thorn bush that has roses, while others see a rose bush that has thorns.' At 61, Wu has come a long way in a political career that began when he was in his mid-20s and saw big successes in its early stages. A veteran politician with a reputation as a skilled strategist, Wu was part of the Kuomintang (KMT) government's campaign in the 1970s to groom native Taiwanese talent to expand its power base. He worked briefly as a journalist and editorial writer after graduating from the Department of History at National Taiwan University (NTU). At the age of 25, he was nominated by the KMT to run for a seat on the Taipei City Council on the basis of an article he had written as a college student. The piece, titled 'The cross of NTU students, ' deeply impressed then-President Chiang Ching-kuo. In the absence of any election experience, money or fame, Wu relied solely on his 'two legs and mouth' in his campaign. He and his wife made door-to-door calls to canvass votes. His grassroots campaign strategy worked and he won his first-ever electoral bid, becoming the youngest member of the city council, and he has remained in politics since then. After eight years of service on the city council, Wu returned to his hometown where he made a successful run for Nantou County magistrate, becoming the youngest-ever county chief in the country. Under his leadership, many notable development projects were implemented in the mountainous county during his eight-year tenure. Having gained distinction as an administrator, he was later appointed mayor of Kaohsiung (1990-1994), Taiwan's second largest city. At the end of Wu's first term, the government decided to make the post a publicly elected one, and he was elected to a second term by a comfortable margin. Wu had originally hoped to succeed James Soong as governor of Taiwan, but his dream died because of the marginalization of the provincial government, and he decided reluctantly to run for re-election in the 1998 Kaohsiung mayoral election. Getting a late start to his campaign, he ended up losing to Frank Hsieh of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) by a narrow margin of 0.6 percentage points, or just over 4,500 ballots. The setback dealt him a severe blow. He confided to close friends numerous times that he had never before lost any contest -- not even a chess game. Nevertheless, Wu did not lose his self-confidence. He told his stunned and teary supporters on election night: 'A lion is a lion. I will make a comeback very soon.' Three years later, he won a legislative seat in a Nantou County district with the highest number of votes of any candidate in the country. His ups and downs in the political arena have earned him the nickname 'Wu Kuo fish' or mouthbreeder. His supporters praise him as an eloquent yet soft-spoken, witty, resourceful and incorruptible politician, while his detractors dismiss him as egotistical, aloof and not afraid to use any means to hurt his political enemies. One of his KMT colleagues says Wu is a decisive and competent man who always acts without hesitating or procrastinating. 'I expect him to be a premier with enormous execution ability,' he said. Describing Wu as a hardliner in the KMT, DPP Legislator Huang Wei-cher says interparty conflict in the Legislature could exacerbate under Wu's premiership. Wu will assume office at a time when Taiwan faces daunting challenges, including the devastation caused by Typhoon Morakot, a swine flu outbreak and a sluggish economy. On his appointment, Wu says he accepted President Ma's offer with the feeling of 'walking on a tightrope and treading on thin ice.' Public outcry over the lackluster government response to the flooding and mudslides triggered by Morakot led to the imminent mass resignation of the Cabinet. The storm left more than 600 people dead and over 70 others missing and feared dead. Besides human casualties, the storm also caused more than NT$15 billion in agricultural and aquaculture losses. Wu's rich experience in local politics and administration is expected to help smooth post-disaster reconstruction in typhoon-affected regions. A man of action, Wu made an undisclosed visit to Hong Kong last weekend after accepting Ma's job offer to get first-hand information about how the former British colony has grappled with landslide issues. He has pledged to give top priority to addressing flood and landslide prevention after taking office. On some political observers' branding him as a lone ranger with few friends in the Legislature, Wu said the label is inaccurate. 'I am absolutely not a lone ranger. I just do not know how to form a clique,' he insists. After taking office, Wu says he will definitely pull out all the stops to seek legislative support and forge a good working relationship with the chamber. 'The legislative and executive branches, like a bird's two wings and a vehicle's four wheels, have to work in concert, ' Wu says, adding that he will consult with the Legislature before coming up with major policy proposals. One of his KMT colleagues agrees that Wu will be able to maintain positive interaction with the Legislature because he is very intelligent, cool and methodical. 'Once he sets a goal to achieve something, he will find a way to accomplish it. He will not be daunted by obstacles standing in the way and is always willing to spend time negotiating with opponents or challengers and persuading them to compromise,' he explains. With his integrity and ingenuity as well as trust from President Ma, he says, Wu will be able to accomplish his mission of leading the country to a new frontier. According to KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng, Wu Den-yih enjoys Ma's full trust. Their friendship dates back to 2005 when Ma ran for the KMT chairmanship for the first time. 'Back then, he had limited contacts in the Legislature. Wu helped Ma solicit KMT lawmakers' support. After Ma won his chairmanship bid, Wu served as the party's secretary-general,' the legislator recalls. Since Ma took over the presidency, Wu as the party's incumbent secretary-general has met with Ma weekly to exchange views. 'They have a lunch meeting every Tuesday,' Wu Yu-sheng says. 'The president's trust will be a plus to Wu's work after taking over the premiership,' Wu Yu-sheng says. 