President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday condemned a Government Information Office (GIO) official whose online articles smeared Taiwan and Taiwanese, breaking his silence on the controversy to say Kuo Kuan-ying (郭冠英) was unfit for office.
Describing Kuo’s articles as “unquestionably extreme and discriminatory,” Ma said that “as a civil servant, he made inconsistent remarks, lied to his supervisors and neglected his duties.
“He is undoubtedly unfit for his job. The GIO deserves recognition for handling the matter in a quick and appropriate manner,” Ma said while meeting members of the Air Force Elementary School Alumni Association residing in the US and Canada, at the Presidential Office.
Kuo, the former acting director of the information division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Toronto, had initially denied writing a number of articles insulting Taiwan and Taiwanese under the pen name Fan Lan-chin (范蘭欽) when he was summoned back to Taiwan last week.
But in an interview with cable station CTI-TV on Monday he admitted he was Fan.
Kuo defended himself, saying that “one has the right to tell lies in the face of enemies.”
After the interview aired, the GIO gave Kuo two major demerits and stripped him of his official status because he had “committed an indiscretion that seriously damaged the reputation of civil servants and the government, based on Article 12 of the Civil Service Performance Evaluation Act (公務人員考績法).”
Emphasizing that he had made vigorous efforts to safeguard freedom of speech, Ma said that when he was Taipei mayor, he made the city “the freest place in the world” where people could protest 24 hours a day.
Ma said that although he respected freedom of speech, the right was not absolute.
“If someone incites ethnic confrontation and harms people’s feelings, such a freedom cannot be tolerated and must be condemned,” he said. “Nobody can hide under the umbrella of freedom of speech and engage in improper acts or instigate ethnic conflict.”
Ma said that he hoped the GIO’s decision would end the Kuo controversy. He also urged the public to seize the opportunity and raise the country to a new level.
“Let’s begin today and work toward ethnic and social harmony, and peace in the Taiwan Strait,” he said. “Let’s work together so the Chinese people can pursue progress and world peace in an amicable atmosphere.”
Ma then launched into a paean to Chinese culture and heritage, saying Taiwan had brought forth the new culture based on the old Chinese one, which had been made possible by more than one individual or ethnic group.
Only love and respect could resolve ethnic problems, he said, adding that government leaders are duty bound to promise the public a future that is conflict-free and harmonious, he said.
Since the Republic of China government relocated from China 60 years ago, Ma said the Taiwanese have worked together to create economic and democratic miracles.
“Together, we have created the most valuable experience of the descendants of the Yen and Yellow emperors,” he said. “This is our only country and homeland. We are one family and it is unnecessary to arouse sensitive issues and create confrontation.”
Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) dismissed speculation that Ma’s remarks were an attempt at damage control ahead of Saturday’s legislative by-election in Taipei’s Da-an District (大安).
“It had nothing to do with the election,” Wang said. “It was purely for ethnic harmony.”
Wang denounced politicians who sought to use the Kuo incident to manipulate ethnic issues.
During a question-and-answer session on the legislative floor yesterday, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) criticized Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) for being too slow to condemn Kuo’s racist articles.
Liu said the government had handled the incident in accordance with the law.
“Before Kuo admitted that he was Fan, there was due process to be completed,” Liu said.
Kuan responded: “You already knew he [Kuo] was Fan. If he still refused to admit it, would you be stalling the process today?”
Liu then accused Kuan of trying to smear him, which led Kuan to accuse Liu of covering up for a racist.
Liu vowed to maintain ethnic harmony.
“Taiwan is a society composed of multiple ethnic communities. Historically, different ethnic groups arrived at this beautiful island at different times,” Liu said. “Everyone works hard, makes contributions and lives here, so this is home to everyone ... we will not tolerate extreme remarks that incite ethnic conflict.”
The two major demerits will cost Kuo his pension, earned over 25 years, unless the Civil Service Protection and Training Commission reverses the decision.
Liu said the GIO’s decision was “appropriate.”
Meanwhile, GIO Minister Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) rebutted media speculation that his agency’s decision to fire Kuo had been politically motivated.
“We take the evaluation of government officials very seriously. We carefully followed the necessary procedures and did not have any [outside] concerns in mind,” Su said. “We did not make the decision because we were under political pressure ... we dealt with everything according to the law.”
“Many people” had tried to turn Kuo’s matter into an ethnic or political issue, Su said. “Those who have done so do not cherish the nation and are insensitive to ethnic issues.”
GIO Personnel Office director Kuo Cheng-sheng (郭忠聖) said the documents stripping Kuo Kuan-ying of his civil servant status had been mailed to him yesterday.
He said Kuo Kuan-ying had to hand in his “G series” official passport by the end of the month.
The “G series” passport is one of the three official passports issued to diplomats that are recognized by countries without diplomatic relationships with Taiwan.
In other developments, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus deputy secretary-general Lin Hung-chih (林鴻池) urged politicians to stop trying to make political capital out of the Kuo case.
DPP Legislator Gao Jhy-peng (高志鵬) told a separate press conference that the DPP caucus had learned that Taiwanese expatriates in Canada were planning to sue Kuo Kuan-ying over his remarks.
He could face more trouble at home. DPP Legislator Huang Shu-ying (黃淑英) said she would appeal to the Ministry of Interior, accusing Kuo Kuan-ying of violating Article 62 of the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法), which stipulates that “no one can discriminate against others who live in the Taiwan area based on nationality, ethnicity, skin color, social status and birthplace.”
Commenting on Kuo Kuan-ying’s claim that his articles were protected by freedom of speech, former vice premier Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) said yesterday that freedom of speech should not provide a haven for hatred. His articles were defamatory and should not be confused with freedom of speech, she said.
Yeh’s husband, Deng Nan-jung (鄭南榕), died 20 years ago after immolating himself to defend “100 percent freedom of expression.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RICH CHANG, SHIH HSIU-CHUAN AND STAFF WRITER
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