President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should not appoint any top officials in the transitional phase before the presidential handover on Friday next week, and he should not interfere with the appointment of the next Academia Sinica president, Academia Sinica’s Liberty Society said.
In a recent interview with UDN TV, Ma said that he would meet with the three nominees for Academia Sinica president suggested by the Academia Sinica Council, and that he would exchange opinions with president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) over the successor to former Academia Sinica president Wong Chi-huey (翁啟惠), whose resignation Ma approved on Tuesday.
In a statement, the society said it was dumbfounded that Ma said he would meet with the nominees after he suddenly approved Wong’s resignation.
Ma should not make any staffing decisions about high-level officials in his capacity as a caretaker, as doing so would raise questions over the legitimacy of such a move, the society said.
Ma’s appointment of Academia Sinica Vice President Wang Fan-sen (王汎森) to take over Wong’s duties was a breach of the institution’s protocols, which state that as Wang was appointed by Wong, their terms should be equivalent, meaning Wang should not stay in his post now that Wong has resigned, it added.
“President Ma relieving Wong of his duties with just nine days left in office has not only flouted the taboo that a caretaker government should not make decisions on the staffing of high-level officials, but he had also interfered with Academia Sinica policies,” the group said.
The institution is the nation’s foremost research facility and is different from a governing body. The appointment of the president of the institution — which holds academic independence in the utmost regard — is essentially different from the appointment of Cabinet members, it said.
The president should respect the nominees proposed by the council, who are to be put to a vote that will assess their academic achievements, experience and beliefs, it said.
Ma’s attempt to impose his opinion on the outcome of the appointment highlights his inability to separate government from academic heads, which is inappropriate, the group said.
The society also voiced objection to some Academia Sinica members’ demands that Ma reject the list of nominees, saying that although the institution’s president will be elected by council members instead of a plenary vote, it would be more democratic and respectful to academic independence than the two aforementioned options.
The group said its statement was aimed at decrying Ma’s “forceful” move, and that Ma should not overstep his remit as a caretaker.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday also called on Ma to refrain from appointing Wong’s replacement.
“Academia Sinica is the highest academic institution in the nation and the appointment of its president is a major decision that effects the institution’s stability and operations,” DPP spokesperson Ruan Jhao-syong (阮昭雄) said.
Additional reporting by Loa Iok-sin
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