Taiwan's incoming first lady Chow Mei-ching Tuesday said she had stopped taking the bus to work after being surrounded by crowds of media and supporters following her husband's election win.
The down-to-earth Chow said she would continue working for a bank when Ma Ying-jeou takes office but could no longer take public transport, apologising to other passengers for the fuss. Chow created a furore when she took the bus as usual on Monday and Tuesday mornings after Ma's landslide victory which returned the KMT party to power.
"I am sorry for the inconvenience due to the media attention on my taking public transport to work and I want to apologise to other passengers and the pedestrians," she said in a statement. "I will stop using it immediately." Chow said she would remain in her job as a legal adviser for a bank, but would step down if it interfered with her commitments as president's wife.
"My work is offering legal advice to various units within Mega International Commercial Bank. I am not in charge of decision-making or business expansion and I do not deal with clients directly," Chow's statement said.
"I will not get involved in any conflict of interests and I will continue working but I would consider quitting if my job interferes with my duties as the president's wife." Ma, who takes office in May, said he backed his wife's decision to stay in her job. "I will respect her decision," he told reporters. More than half the public want the future first lady to keep working, according to several newspaper and TV polls on Monday.
With her unflashy clothes and habit of wearing little make-up, Chow is expected to bring a shift in style from the wife of outgoing President Chen Shui-bian, observers say.
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