Academia Historica president Lin Man-houng (林滿紅) yesterday bid a tearful farewell to her colleagues after she resigned the previous night over a controversial poll that listed Chinese Communist leaders in the top 100 most influential figures in the establishment of the Republic of China’s (ROC) history.
Lin on Wednesday night tendered her resignation, which was immediately approved by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). Lin said the Presidential Office did not pressure her into the decision and that she resigned voluntarily.
Lin said she was grateful to Ma for giving her the opportunity to fulfill her dream as an academic, adding, however, that it was time to go after completing her “phase mission” of serving the country and its people.
As part of celebrations for the ROC’s 100th anniversary next year, the institute introduced an online poll on Wednesday last week asking the public to vote for the ROC’s top 100 most influential figures. It stirred up controversy when it was found that the list of candidates selected by Academia Historica included late Chinese Communist Party leaders Mao Zedong (毛澤東) and Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平).
Shortly after the criticism, Academia Historica removed Deng and Mao from the online list. Before their removal, Mao ranked No. 3 in the category of political leaders, ahead of his long-time enemy — late ROC president and KMT leader Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) — while Deng ranked first as the most influential figure in the military category with 90 votes.
Lin yesterday said it was indeed “inappropriate” to include Mao and Deng in the poll as the purpose is to celebrate the 100 years of the founding of the ROC.
However, she added: “Mao and Deng were definitely among the most influential people in the history of the ROC.”
The controversy mainly resulted from “different objectives,” she said.
When asked whether she would do the same thing had she had the chance to do it all over again, Lin said she would if the poll was to select the “most influential people in the history of the ROC.”
However, she would not do so if the poll was to elect the top 100 most influential people to celebrate the centenary of the ROC.
Noting that Academia Historica’s additional task — managing the Presidential and Vice Presidential Artifacts Museum — was a big challenge, she said it cost a lot and took them so much time and energy that “they missed one spot.”
Likening her performance to that of a student, Lin, who was a university professor, said a teacher cannot give a student a bad grade simply because he misses one class, but instead the teacher must look at the student’s performance throughout the semester.
“That is not the way to grade students,” she said.
Lin said she has accomplished much over the past 31 months and that she will return to school so she can finish writing some books.
Lin, the first female president of Academia Historica since its establishment in 1947, yesterday handed over her official seal to Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Liu Pao-kuei (劉寶貴), who will serve as the acting president until Ma finds a replacement for Lin.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾), who on Wednesday proposed refering Lin to the Control Yuan for impeachment, remained critical of Lin yesterday despite her resignation.
“How can we have such a government official? We have way too many government officials [like her]. This is why the government has low approval ratings,” Lo said.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang and CNA
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS