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Academics protest
over MOE e-mail
CONCERNING ¡¥CONCERN¡¦: The university professors
say the ministry¡¦s reaction to recent student protests represented a views held
during the White Terror era
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Dozens of university professors yesterday launched a petition to protest against
the Ministry of Education¡¦s (MOE) ¡§concern¡¨ for student protesters, demanding
the ministry apologize for its implicated threats to student activists.
Representatives of the 36 university professors who signed the petition
expressed grave concerns at a press conference over ¡§the re-emergence of the
White Terror¡¨ embodied in an e-mail from the ministry, which asked universities
to ¡§show concern¡¨ for students taking part in anti-media monopoly protests last
week.
¡§We ask the ministry to stop applying inappropriate pressure in the name of
discipline and to stop wrongful authoritarian implications. We also demand the
ministry apologize for its oppression of freedom of speech,¡¨ National Cheng Kung
University political scientist Leung Man-to (±ç¤åÃü) said.
The petition was launched based on the purpose of having higher education ¡X to
cultivate independently critical citizens ¡X and was supporting the students¡¦
cause, which asked the government to reject the controversial Next Media deal
and safeguard freedom of speech in Taiwan, Leung said.
While Minister of Education Chiang Wei-ling (½±°¶¹ç) has reiterated that the e-mail
was written ¡§with good intentions¡¨ and that the ministry has never asked anyone
to collect the names of student protesters, Leung said Chiang still owed the
public an explanation and apology.
Fu Jen Catholic University philosophy professor Shen Ching-kai (¨H²M·¢) said he was
proud of what the students had done in two protests last week, adding that it
should have been viewed as ¡§a success story of civil society in Taiwan.¡¨
¡§The students have shown self-discipline, critical thinking, organizational
ability and creativity in the staging of their peaceful protests,¡¨ Shen said.
If the ministry cared about the students¡¦ health, it should have sent staff to
the protests rather than sending an e-mail after they had ended, Shen said.
Shen went on to criticize the ministry¡¦s Student Affairs Committee, the author
of the e-mail, saying that the committee is ¡§an authoritarian legacy that should
not have existed.¡¨
Anthony Yeh (¸¯E), an assistant professor at National Chengchi University, said
he was deeply moved by the student-led protests and felt that ¡§these are the
students we need to keep society moving forward.¡¨
It was also necessary for academics to step forward and support the protests to
demonstrate the importance of participation and citizen engagement that they
have been teaching their students, Yeh said.
¡§We need independent citizens and officials who dare to speak the truth, not
blindly obedient people and obsequious officials. That is why we are speaking
out today to support the students,¡¨ Yeh said.
The professors said they are still collecting signatures on the petition from
academics.
National Taiwan University¡¦s student association also condemned the ministry¡¦s
¡§authoritarian oppression of the student movement¡¨ and reaffirmed its support of
students¡¦ freedom to take part in civil movements.
Student association representative Lin Yen-yu (ªL«Û·ì) cited sources from various
universities as saying that military officers had caused panic by questioning
professors and students on the matter.
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