City University of Hong Kong president Kuo Way (郭位) — one of three candidates on a short-list for the next president of Academia Sinica — turned down an interview with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), citing a scheduling conflict and saying that he stood by his April 17 decision to withdraw his candidacy for the job.
In a letter to Ma that was published by the Chinese-language United Daily News on Sunday, Kuo wrote that he was unable to attend the interview due to work commitments, adding that after he had announced his decision to withdraw he had expected the matter to rest there, but his name was nevertheless on a list of candidates submitted to Ma.
When Kuo quit the race, he made remarks highly critical of the selection process for the institution’s president, saying it was mired in mudslinging and scheming, making an otherwise academic matter a highly politicized one, so he had decided to withdraw his candidacy to avoid stoking social divisions.
“Academia Sinica is in need of reform. The institution should be streamlined to make it a purely academic agency, which should be mainly composed of researchers, while its principal duties should be recognizing and rewarding outstanding research, while supporting the development of science and cultural policies,” Kuo wrote in the letter.
The institution does not admit students, which needs to be corrected, and mergers with universities would facilitate the idea of combining research with education, helping to introduce scientific research to society, Kuo wrote.
Kuo was said to be a favored candidate for his perceived affinity with Ma and his pro-China stance, but he wrote in the letter that “in a society where morality has declined, people with integrity who propose honest suggestions become subject to false accusations, which is detrimental to academic freedom.”
Academia Sinica Acting President Wang Fan-sen (王汎森) took over the institution after Ma approved the resignation of former Academia Sinica president Wong Chi-huey (翁啟惠) on Tuesday last week, following Wong’s involvement in an insider trading scandal.
Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen (陳以信) yesterday reiterated that the appointment of the Academia Sinica president would not be made before Ma has interviewed the candidates, adding that the interviews are still being arranged.
Ma said earlier that he would leave the appointment of the position to president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) after she assumes office if they disagree on the most suitable candidate.
While Academia Sinica has refused to reveal the candidates, a list leaked to the media suggested the candidates are Kuo, University of California Los Angeles department of chemistry and biochemistry director James Liao (廖俊智) and Academia Sinica institute of atomic and molecular sciences director Chou Mei-yin (周美吟).
Liao reportedly won most votes from members of Academia Sinica’s selection committee. The candidate with most votes is typically appointed the institution’s president.
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