President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday dismissed a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator’s criticism of young students who she said showed disrespect for the president because they did not stand up when talking to Ma.
Ma said yesterday on his Facebook page that he did not mind students sitting down when they asked him questions.
“We are living in a free and democratic society. There is no need to impose too many rules on university students,” he said. “It’s quite natural for them to sit down when they asked me the questions because they needed to speak into the microphone on the table.”
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Ma made the remarks in response to a criticism lodged by KMT Legislator Kuo Su-chun (郭素春) over Ma’s visit to St John’s University in Tamsui (淡水) on Sunday, during which Ma answered questions about his government’s policies and listened to the students’ ideas on various topics, including the death penalty, the planned construction project of Kuokuang Petrochemical Park and the proposed luxury tax.
“President Ma had to bend from the waist to talk to a student who sat still in his chair. Had I been there, I would have given him a slap on his face. If he was my child, let me tell you, he would have had to kneel down for three days at home,” Kuo said.
Calling the matter a “moral problem,” Kuo added that people should stand up when they speak to their elders.
KMT caucus whip Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said Kuo Su-chun meant to teach the students good manners and that she was not encouraging physical punishment.
“Kuo [Su-chun] has been a strict mother with her children and that was why she thought the students had bad manners. It would be out of context if her comments were interpreted in a way to suggest that she supported physical punishment,” Hsieh said, urging people not to take the matter seriously.
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