National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) students initiated a signature drive against the university’s decision to confer an honorary doctorate of education upon Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (阿里巴巴) chairman Jack Ma (馬雲), demanding that the university divulge its “black-box” decisionmaking process.
NTNU president Chang Kuo-an (張國恩) awarded Ma the degree on Friday last week during a ceremony that Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), an alumnus, attended as a guest.
The students yesterday presented a petition to NTNU secretary Lin An-pang (林安邦) asking Chang to address their demands.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
They demanded that the school reveal which department recommended Ma for the degree, its rationale and what review processes had been undertaken to consider the appropriateness of the degree.
The university should not have given Ma the degree, because he has been involved in a number of controversies, student Pan Kuan (潘寬) said.
Pan said that Taobao.com (淘寶), Alibaba’s biggest e-commerce platform, is rife with counterfeit goods and that Ma has made improper comments about the 1989 pro-democracy protests in China, labeling the crackdown at Tiananmen Square as “the most correct decision.”
Chang reportedly said at the ceremony that the idea to consider Ma for an honorary degree was inspired by a speech Ma delivered in Taiwan in March.
“How could such a decision be made in three months and on the basis of a speech?” student Lou Dan (羅丹) asked.
The students also demanded that the university apologize to students and teachers for forcing them to attend the ceremony and canceling classes, Lou said, adding that some students were told that they risked being marked absent if they did not attend.
The university should review its policies for awarding honorary degrees, Lou said.
The university said it encouraged its teachers to ask students to attend the ceremony, at which Ma spoke for 15 minutes, because it knew there were students who were disappointed they did not get a chance to hear him speak in March due to limited space.
However, students were not compelled to attend, it said.
The decision to confer the degree was made by a review committee after the College of Education recommended Ma be recognized for his contributions to society and his work to create innovative enterprises that have worldwide influence, the university said.
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported yesterday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes after South Korean and US forces launched their springtime military drills, due to run until Thursday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday oversaw the testing of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies, it said. Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies, within the 420km striking range, a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding
UPGRADED MISSILE: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is reportedly to conduct a live-fire test of the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile on Thursday next week The US Army is planning to build new facilities to boost explosives production and strengthen its supply chain, a move aimed at addressing munitions shortages and supporting obligations to partners including Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, Defense News reported. The army has issued a sources sought notice for a proposed Center of Excellence at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the report said. The facility would serve as a hub within the US industrial base for the production of key military explosives, including research department explosives (RDX) and high melting explosives (HMX), while also supporting research and development of next-generation materials. The proposed
RSS