Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) yesterday resigned over what he said were political manipulations and slander directed at the ministry amid a months-long controversy surrounding the legality of National Taiwan University (NTU) president-elect Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔) heading the nation’s leading university.
Pan yesterday told the media that he had tendered his resignation to Premier William Lai (賴清德).
Although he is not one to fear challenges at work, he decided to resign after much thought, to curb “politically motivated attacks and slander” leveled at the ministry over the case, Pan said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The political manipulations had given ministry employees unnecessary stress and placed an uncalled-for burden on them, he said.
Kuan was on Jan. 5 elected NTU president, but his inauguration was postponed after he faced allegations of a conflict of interest in the election, plagiarism and illegally teaching in China as a government-contracted professor.
Throughout his career as a public servant, he always abided by the law, including in his handling of the controversy surrounding Kuan’s election, Pan said in the statement.
The ministry, as the university’s governing agency, is obligated to ensure that the election was entirely procedurally sound and that the NTU president-elect has the qualifications to assume the post, he said.
Despite the university discussing issues surrounding Kuan’s election in internal meetings, questions still remain, and the ministry would be negligent if it did not try to clear up these doubts, Pan said.
The university’s president has a high status in academia and should stand up to public scrutiny, he said, adding that Kuan has a responsibility to clarify controversy stemming from his “own behavior.”
Kuan’s reticence over questions raised about him runs counter to public expectations and the doubts have in turn made the ministry a source of public criticism, Pan said.
He said he hopes that all political manipulations surrounding the issue would cease following his resignation, so that public attention would focus on the legitimacy of the elections and Kuan’s qualifications.
Lai yesterday said that he “reluctantly” approved Pan’s resignation.
Hopefully, Pan’s resignation would help establish a socially acceptable standard for the election of university presidents, Lai said.
Lai said he admires and respects Pan’s work to clear up doubts over Kuan’s suitability, while acknowledging his contributions as a tenured educator.
The premier also conveyed the hope that Kuan would address the public over the allegations that he illegally taught in China, so that the controversy can be laid to rest.
Additional reporting by Lee Hsin-fang
The Thai government on Friday announced that Taiwanese would be allowed to stay in the country for up to 60 days per entry, under the Southeast Asian country’s visa-free program starting from today. Taiwan is among 93 countries included in the Thai visa-waiver program, which has been expanded from 57 countries, with the visa-exempt entry extended from 30 to 60 days. After taking office last year, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has vowed to grant more visa waivers to foreign travelers as part of efforts to stimulate tourism. The expanded visa-waiver program was on Friday signed by Thai Minister of the Interior Anutin
BAIL APPEALS: The former vice premier was ordered to be held incommunicado despite twice being granted bail and paying a total of NT$12 million in bond The Taoyuan District Court yesterday ordered the detention of former vice premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), who is being investigated for alleged corruption while serving as Taoyuan mayor from December 2014 to December 2022, and that he be held incommunicado. The court made the ruling during a bail hearing after prosecutors appealed its bail ruling twice. Cheng on Saturday was released after posting bail of NT$5 million (US$153,818). However, after prosecutors lodged an appeal, the High Court on Monday revoked the original ruling and ordered the Taoyuan District Court to hold another bail hearing. On Tuesday, the district court granted bail to Cheng a second
PEACE AND SECURITY: China’s military ambitions present ‘the greatest strategic challenge to Japan and the world, Japan’s annual defense white paper said yesterday Japan yesterday warned that China risked escalating tensions with Taiwan with an increase in military exercises that appeared aimed in part at readying Beijing’s forces for a possible invasion. Japan’s annual assessment of security threats, including those posed by China, North Korea and Russia, comes as Taiwan closely monitors Chinese People’s Liberation Army air and sea exercises, including one with the Shandong aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. The drills are the latest in a series including maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait last year that a senior US general said would be key to any invasion. “Because of that increase in military activity,
CHIPS AND DEFENSE: Trump said the US had lost its chip business and Taipei should pay it for defense, and added that ‘we’re no different than an insurance company’ Taiwan-US relations are solid, and both sides are in agreement that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region are everyone’s concern, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday following comments by former US president Donald Trump that Taiwan “should pay” for US defense. Taiwan is thankful to the US for supporting Taiwan’s bid to participate in international organizations, Cho told a news conference in Taipei. “I know the people very well, respect them greatly. They did take about 100 percent of our chip business,” Trump told Bloomberg on June 25 in an interview that was published on Tuesday. “I think