Sat, Dec 27, 2014 page3

• Ma panned over Chinese adviser role

  ‘UNITED FRONT’: DPP Legislator Cheng Li-chun said that since coming into government in 2008 President Ma Ying-jeou has deviated from legal basis in cross-strait interactions

  • By Chung Li-hua, Wu Po-hsuan, and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer
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  Academics and opposition legislators panned President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration for dereliction of duty in allowing a Chinese citizen to hold the position of adviser in a Taiwanese governmental institution, claiming that it showed that the pursuit of pro-China cross-strait policies has led to confusion among government agencies and the gradual departure of such agencies from the law when interacting with China.

  An article in the China Ocean News in October, by National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium’s polar advisory committee member Wang Zipan (王自磐), a visiting Chinese academic, discussed the success of “arctic ‘united front’ rhetoric,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Cheng Li-chun (鄭麗君) said.

  Wang said that he had been asked by the Chinese State Oceanic Administration in 2008 to see if Chinese Antarctic exploration ship Xue Long (雪龍) would be able to stop in Taiwan upon returning from its 25th exploration trip.

  Wang said he had contacted Taiwanese friend and academic Fang Li-hsing (方立行) about the issue, who was reportedly “very excited about the matter” and had contacted “high-ranking officials in Taipei.”

  Xue Long later docked in Greater Kaohsiung on April 1, 2009, for a three-day stay.

  Cheng said terms in the article such as “the homeland’s treasured jewel — Taiwan (祖國寶島台灣)” smacked of “united front” rhetoric.

  The Ministry of Education’s lack of supervision of its subordinates — as evidenced by Wang’s position as a committee adviser at a national institution despite his nationality — and the central government’s insistence on promoting cross-strait policies since Ma came into office clearly show that the government has derailed from legal basis in cross-strait interactions, Cheng said.

  Despite the museum’s build-operate-transfer method of operation and endorsements from businesses, the government has also allotted the museum NT$100 million (US$3.15 million) in funding, more than 60 percent of which comes from the ministry, Cheng said.

  Cheng also said that research staff at the museum were shared with National Dong Hwa University’s Institute of Marine Biotechnology.

  The staff’s pay comes from taxpayers’ money, Cheng said, adding that it was Taiwanese money paying for the research.

  Former Antarctic Society of Taiwan secretary-general Lee Hou-chin (李後進) said that even when Thai staff worked at the Japanese station in Antarctica, they still wore Thai uniforms.

  There is no reason why staff from Taiwan should have to wear Chinese uniforms when visiting Antarctica, Lee said, adding that researchers should not trade the nation’s sovereignty for personal chances at promotion.

  The museum should put a halt to their cooperation with China by next year, Lee said.

  In response, Minister of Education Wu Se-hua (吳思華) said that the ministry would look into the matter and seek to conclude its investigation within one week, adding that the ministry would also look into the museum’s alleged illegal hiring of Chinese citizens.

  The ministry’s Department of Lifelong Education Deputy Head Lee Yu-chuan (李毓娟) said preliminary inquiries were inconclusive, as the museum had not provided sufficient data, such as under what capacity Wang had entered Taiwan and what kind of visa he held.

  As the case involves Chinese citizens, the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) would be used as the primary legal reference, Lee said.

  Whether the museum has violated the law remains to be seen, despite clear ministry rules stating that academics from across the Taiwan Strait may not take either full-time or part-time jobs, Lee said.
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