Letter to The Taipei Times

From:
5/17/2003 1:54 PM
Subject: Human Rights Violations at National Cheng Kung
UniversityTo: letters@taipeitimes.com

16 May 2003

Taipei Times

Letters to the Editor

I wish to inform your newspaper that, for the last two years, the
president of National Cheng Kung University, Kao Chiang, as well as the
current chairman of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature,
Professor Chang, have been in defiance of a Ministry of Education ruling
for the issuance of a teaching contract. After two years of
noncompliance with that ruling despite about eight warning letters to
comply with the law, the university finally accepted the
legality of the Ministry's ruling, and issued me two two-year
retroactive contracts. Despite this defiance of a legal Ministry
ruling, recently, Kao Chiang, the president of NCKU, was chosen for a
second term as president, presumably contingent on ratification by the
Ministry of Education.
How is such a travesty of law possible at a national university in
Taiwan? How can a man who defied the Ministry of Education, and basic
principles of law and human rights, not only go unpunished, but be
"rewarded" by a second term as head of a university whose moral standing
he has undermined?
The university's first response following the Ministry ruling of 8
January 2001 was to attempt to "review" me again. Where in the world
would any university, especially in a presumably democratic country,
argue something as absurd and devious as this? What would be the point
of an appeal if all an appellant could do was appeal again, subjecting
himself to further "review"? Do you wish to have such officials as
officials of your universities?
Although the university's legal rights violations, including secret
meetings and unproved accusations, should be obvious to anyone with a
fourth-grade education, intransigent officials refused to admit their
mistakes, costing taxpayers four-years in back pay. Not even willing to
learn from their mistakes, much less admit them, departmental officials
are presumably attempting another dismissal action, based on accusations
already rejected by the Ministry ruling of 8 January 2001.
Why should Taiwan tolerate officials like these? Are they a law
unto themselves? The fact that the present president of the university
as well as the FLLD chair, have already defied a legal Ministry ruling
should in itself be sufficient to effect their dismissal, not only from
office, but even from the university.
Is there public concern in Taiwan over these issues? Why should a
major university in Taiwan be governed without moral principles or
principles of law? If university officials can defy the law with
impunity, and actually be reelected to office following such a scandal,
what does this say about law in Taiwan or human rights awareness among
faculty at National Cheng Kung University, at least those who supported
Professor Kao's reappointment?