Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) on Friday last week apologized and said he would transfer his son to another school after the alleged bullying of a female classmate.
The Kaohsiung Education Bureau said it has launched an investigation into the incident.
Lai told a news conference that his eight-year-old son, who is in the second grade, was involved in a “physical conflict” with a classmate surnamed Huang (黃).
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Lai apologized to the girl and her parents.
“As a politician, I have a responsibility to pay close attention to my son’s education,” he said. “Our society should see a mature parent willing to deal with problems.”
“I have spoken to the girl’s parents and am also in communication with school officials,” he said. “We all hope that our children can grow up in a friendly and safe environment, and people should give them more room to learn and develop.”
The girl’s mother said that she sensed sincerity in Lai’s apology and accepts that he was taking responsibility, Chinese-language media reported.
She just wanted to stop the bullying, she said, adding that she would abide by the outcome of the probe and the legal process.
Lai’s son got embroiled in a physical altercation involving Huang on Oct. 16 while they were exercising on the running track at their school, reports said.
Huang ran to a washroom, but Lai’s son stood outside and verbally abused her for about 12 minutes, they said.
Huang’s parents sought an investigation over the incident, the reports said, adding that another couple, parents of a boy at the school surnamed Hsu (徐), filed a complaint that Lai’s son had kicked him during a physical education class, bruising his cheek.
On Monday, Lai told reporters at the legislature in Taipei that he would teach his son about proper social interactions and behavior, and provide counseling.
He would cooperate with the school’s probe and other investigations, he said.
Lai said that he has met with Huang’s parents for an hour over the issue with their daughter and would take action in the best interests of the family.
Moreover, he would transfer his son to another school, he said.
However, some media reports were taken out of context or exaggerated, he said.
The misinformation regarding the incident might be due to his announcement that he would contest the DPP primary for next year’s Kaohsiung mayoral race, he added.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩), the party’s presumptive candidate in the Kaohsiung election, steered clear of commenting on the issue directly.
“An election is one thing, but we should not bring family into the fray,” Ko said. “If we have criticisms of a candidate’s platform or ethical conducts, that is on the candidate alone.”
“Given that Lai has apologized twice, we need not discuss it further,” she added.
Additional reporting by Ke Yu-hao
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