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Love your country: NTU president

National Taiwan University president Chen Wei-chao (陳維昭) urged students yesterday not to be "polluted by politics" and to uphold the school's lofty ideals of "love the country and love the people" in order to make this country a "treasure island of love and concern."

Addressing the school's commencement ceremony, Chen said society has been overshadowed by an uneasy, suspicious and confrontational atmosphere since the March 20 presidential election.

"Back in early April, a group of students staged a sit-in over election disputes at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall complex near the Presidential Office.

"When I came to know on April 5 that many of them were National Taiwan University students and some had been on a `fast' for 72 hours, I visited the site to show my concern for their health. I did so out of my duty as the school's president and also out of my instinct as a physician," Chen recalled.

The following day, Chen noted, some people questioned his motives, asking whether he was encouraging the students to join opposition political parties in confronting the government.

"I didn't care about these suspicions, but the incident led me to think of how terrible it would be if every event was politicized, including teachers showing concern for students' health," Chen said.

In human history, he claimed, society has not necessarily needed politics.

"But it cannot lack love and concern," he said.

Also in April, Chen said, a female student at the university's foreign literature and language department required a bone marrow transplant to save her life.

At the time, Chen said, the university and the Buddhist Compassionate Relief Tzu Chi Foundation launched a blood-testing campaign with the aim of locating a bone marrow match for the ailing student.

"We originally planned to collect 1,000 blood samples, but more than 1,500 students rushed to the campus examination station. I was moved by our students' enthusiastic response to the drive. To me, their show of concern for the student was even more cherishable and more glorious than the school's winning of an international academic award," Chen said.

At the end of his speech, Chen encouraged all the new graduates to persevere in pursuing their life and career goals.

"You should not be polluted by politics or daunted by any setbacks. You should keep in mind our school's credo of `love the country and love the people.' Love and concern are indispensable elements of a peaceful, harmonious and prosperous society," he said.
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