We saw her on TV, occasionally waving her fist while giving a passionate speech to a large group of high school students. Without hiding her anger, she lashed out at opposition party leaders for trying to recall her and the president. Apparently, her zealous performance excited the young crowd, who responded with thunderous applause.
It seems like the "traditional" role of vice president -- silent and obedient -- is outdated, much like that of a doctor's wife. Facing a political climate that was against her, Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) couldn't help but defend herself and rebuke her opponents. She claimed that the KMT was trying blame the new government for five decades of its own wrongdoings. She shouted that Lien Chan (連戰) and James Soong (宋楚瑜) are responsible for ruining the country's finances and leaving a huge debt for the new government to deal with.
This speech provoked discussion and disagreement. After the media aired the speech, a flow of telephone calls flooded the school. Parents, worried their children might have received inappropriate messages, blamed the school for allowing "politics to invade the campus." The principle said "I didn't expect her to say anything like that."
Few would argue that having a senior political figure as a guest speaker at a school is improper. After all, politics is a profession just like any other. Politicians have their inspiring stories and experiences to share and they are usually very good orators, capable of keeping an audience interested.
"This is not about who she is, but what she said," one parent claimed. However, do schools have the right to regulate what people say? Just because freedom of speech is protected by the Constitution it does not necessarily mean that what is said in the public arena is proper or civil. Even though what some people say is insensitive to others, to disapprove of a controversial or provocative speech is not enough to justify prohibiting it, even in schools. Not to mention that it is difficult to decide when a speech is inappropriate for students.
A political figure talking about his or her political point of view on campus seems to me very normal. Lu's speech did not offend students who are old enough to make their own judgements. But it did offend some parents who have different political beliefs or who simply don't like Lu.
In other words, this is about too little tolerance toward different opinions. It's about too little respect toward freedom of speech. It's about too little understanding of democracy. Lu may have to face the consequences of her speech, but parents have set a bad example.
I suspect that no community can become civil and caring by restricting what its members can say. Parents as well as schools have the responsibility to create a truly understanding and supportive society. In that regards, we adults still have a lot to learn.
Lucia Yeh is a freelance writer in Taipei.
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