A Willing Pawn for Politics, Can the Education Ministry Feel at Ease with Education?

 A Willing Pawn for Politics, Can the Education Ministry Feel at Ease with Education?

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

January 28, 2018

 Translation of an Excerpt

In the episode in which the Green camp attempted to block the appointment of Kuan Chung-ming as National Taiwan University (NTU) president, following the DPP legislative caucus’ decision to withdraw the binding resolution bill, has come to a close, but we may not be able to say that the drama had ended. The high drama that had been dubbed "dump Kuan" apparently is not an accident; the ruling party blatantly used the budget bill to infringe on university autonomy; that in fact was a disgrace for democracy. The Education Ministry has played a pawn for politics, willing to serve politicians; not only failing to resist the political forces, it even pandered to the powers that be and acted with vigor. Education should be the defender of "campus democracy," but rather it turned into a hatchet man for university autonomy; this is truly a scene of absurdity.

After the NTU president selection committee elected a new President on January 5, the Education Ministry not only laid away the document on the election of the new president, it even, according to the media revelations, hastily sent urgent communications three times to NTU with obvious intention of blocking the new president’s investiture.

On January 24, the DPP legislative caucus, using the consultations for review of the general budget bill, introduced a binding resolution bill demanding that "the Ministry of Education should ask the NTU president selection committee to clarify the points of doubt, otherwise it may not proceed with follow-up appointment procedures," brutally pressuring the Ministry of Education to intervene in the election of NTU president. Inconceivably, after the representative of the Education Ministry who was present on the occasion read the text of this binding resolution bill, surprisingly replied that the "content is acceptable." On the same day, the Education Ministry even transmitted to NTU a document from the Control Yuan, saying "based on a complaint, the selection process involved shortcomings”; in the matter of cooperating with political forces in intervening in universities, the Education Ministry did an excellent job.

After the DPP came to power, the Education Minister, who should have maintained strict neutrality, has repeatedly acted with agitated emotions. This time, the Ministry of Education cooperated with the DPP’s performance of high drama “dump Kuan,” leading in trampling on university autonomy and due process of law. What talent and virtue has such an Education Ministry to lead universities, and how can it feel at ease in its responsibility of cultivating talent?

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