The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday traded barbs as a controversy over TPP Hsinchu mayoral candidate Ann Kao’s (高虹安) doctoral thesis rages on.
DPP caucus director Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) accused the TPP of attempting to pressure Institute for Information Industry (III) president C.H. Cho (卓政宏) by demanding that he attend a media briefing it was hosting earlier yesterday to address questions about plagiarism allegations involving Kao.
Cho told a legislative meeting on Wednesday that the institute — a government-affiliated think tank — might sue Kao for copyright breaches after an internal probe, using two software programs, found that Kao had used about 70 to 80 percent of a research paper she had coauthored for the III for her doctoral thesis at the University of Cincinnati without crediting the institute.
Photo: CNA
Not knowing how to deal with the controversy, TPP officials instead convened a press conference to pressure Cho to change his statement, Lo said.
“This amounts to the TPP setting up a ‘private court’ to force Cho to alter his statement about Kao’s thesis,” Lo said.
DPP caucus deputy secretary Wu Yu-chin (吳玉琴) said that the government regulations on research projects such as the one Kao was engaged in at the III are very clear — that a written authorization is needed to use such research materials.
Photo: CNA
“Copying 70 to 80 percent of a report is not within the scope of reasonable use,” Wu said, calling on Kao to face the public and explain questions about her thesis.
Meanwhile, TPP Legislator Andy Chiu (邱臣遠) accused III and Ministry of Economic Affairs officials of hiding when they did not appear at the party’s press conference.
“Those at the III and the economics ministry are hiding; they do not dare come out and talk. This shows how much they fear the ruling DPP and DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘),” Chiu said at the legislature.
“The DPP has reached its hands into Taiwan’s industries and academic circles. It is abusing its power — in ways far worse than the KMT [Chinese Nationalist Party] did — with the DPP demanding that the III provide personal information [about Kao] and using smear tactics in the election campaign,” he said.
“Has Taiwan become North Korea? This ‘green terror’ is not what people want,” he said.
“It is all due to Ker, who is afraid of Kao getting elected as Hsinchu mayor,” he said.
Ker had earlier slammed Kao for blasting DPP legislators for asking the III to provide information about her tenure at the think tank.
As the III is mainly funded by the economics ministry, legislators have the right to oversee its activities, Ker said.
“Voters in Hsinchu want to know if there had been any violations,” Ker said. “Kao has repeatedly lied to cover her actions, while suing others.”
“Kao has accused other parties of using cyberarmies to wage a propaganda campaign against her and vilify her,” Ker said. “She should stop hiding and explain herself to the public.”
Asked about Kao’s situation, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), chairman of the TPP, said: “It is the ruling party using all of the government’s resources to attack Kao. It is too much.”
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