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Legislative Yuan refuses to take `shit' from banker

Steve Shieh (謝壽夫), chairman of the First Financial Holding Co, yesterday gained the media spotlight after a verbal fight with a pan-blue lawmaker in which he used an English-language expletive.

Lawmakers asked Shieh for an apology, and demanded that the Ministry of Finance reconsider keeping Shieh, 66, as the head of the state-run bank First Financial.

HEATED WORDS

The senior banker -- who spent the past 10 years at Taishin Commercial Bank before becoming chairman of First Financial in August 2003 -- was taking part in a regular question-and-answer session at the legislature's Finance Committee when he told Legislator Alex Fai (費鴻泰) that he didn't like attending such sessions.

"If you don't like coming here, then just resign," Fai, a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), told Shieh.

Standing next to Shieh, Minister of Finance Lin Chuan (林全) tried to halt the heated exchange of words.

But as Shieh turned away from the microphone, he uttered the four-letter English-language expletive "shit," which was audible throughout the chamber.

Fai immediately stopped his questioning and demanded that Shieh repeat the word.

Committee chairman Liao Pen-yen (廖本煙) also berated Shieh for his language, and demanded that he apologize to Fai, which he did.

The Legislative Yuan has been the scene of numerous brawls, fistfights and incidents of rival lawmakers hurling objects such as lunch boxes and books at each other.

`SHIT'-STORM

Regarding this storm in the teacup, First Financial executive vice president and spokesman Huang Hsien-chuan (黃獻全) quoted Shieh as saying that his colorful response at the legislature was not aimed at the lawmaker, nor did he mean to show disrespect.

"He [Shieh] was simply very angry at the false rumors circulating around, thereby he burst out with something that people think was inappropriate," Huang said, referring to speculation that Shieh was intending to enter into merger talks with Taishin Financial.

As for Shieh's position at First Financial, Huang said that Shieh is employed by the government and that he would try his best to do his job.

Whether he would have to leave the post regarding the "shit" incident is not something Shieh can decide, Huang said on behalf of Shieh.
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