Don’t be a blue executioner
I think former Ministry of Education secretary-general Chuang Kuo-rong (莊國榮) should be given a chance to make up for what he said or did if his behavior made some people feel uncomfortable (“Chuang vows to hold hunger strike,” June 22, page 1). Although the words that he used were considered “vulgar” or “tasteless,” it was more of an issue of linguistic appropriateness rather than whether it was appropriate for a teacher of law to have said it. If he were a teacher of Chinese literature, we might worry about his grasp of the language.
I do believe Chuang has a problem with controlling his mouth. And if that had been a problem when he was teaching, then he should consider leaving his teaching post. But if he never had that problem, what reason does National Chengchi University (NCCU) have to not renew his contract? I think NCCU is not being fair if it fires a teacher for being passionate about his country, as many pan-greens claim. Yes, his choice of words was politically inappropriate. Yet I agree with what he said about how “low” level it was to say “execute [former president] Chen Shui-bian.” I would like to know who said that and was that person a teacher and was he or she ever punished for saying that?
My advice to NCCU is that students care more about their teachers’ academic qualifications. You will make students and parents resent you for your political bias and for acting as the executioner for the party in power.
SUSAN SU
TAOYUAN
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