TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said on Sunday (Oct. 6) that the leader of a country should possess wisdom or it could spell disaster for the people, a statement that seemed to insinuate that incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) lacks such a leadership quality.

Lu, who threw her hat into the ring as the Formosa Alliance's presidential nominee, is required to garner 280,384 signatures to qualify as a candidate. She has been a vocal critic of Tsai and her administration’s policies.

During a campaign stop in Chiayi, Lu fired back against commentator Chen Chi-fang (陳季芳), who sarcastically remarked that she is the right choice of running mate for presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) of the Kuomintang (KMT) because “she has gone to great lengths to denounce Tsai as Han has,” reported the Liberty Times. Lu defended her position, saying both the opposition KMT and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have waned and that the island’s party politics needs “reshuffling.”

Lu also lashed out against the passage of the DPP-proposed amendment to the Referendum Act, which she warned would disrupt peace in society. She urged the public to vote for someone wise and sensible, as challenges for Taiwan lie ahead in the four years to come, said the report.

On Oct. 5, Lu directed harsh criticism at Tsai, suggesting that it is the president who has undermined the values of the DPP only a few years into her tenure and who has condoned abuse of power and nepotism in her administration, wrote Newtalk.