TAIWAN
Taiwanese Vice Premier, Chen Chi-mai has criticised the decision of the Kaohsiung Education Bureau to instruct a Public Servant to write a 3,000-word essay in his own time as a punishment for criticising Kaohsiung Mayor, Han Kuo-yu (pictured).
Mr Chi-mai said the ruling was probably illegal.
The Public Servant, a Director of Elementary School Education, had said that under Mr Han the Kaohsiung City Government was “only good for hot air”, while speaking at an event in support of a drive to recall Mr Han.
Footage of the event showed the Director wearing a mask and identifying himself only as a “Civil Servant”.
The Bureau later punished the Director by ordering him to write the 3,000-word essay to reflect on his behaviour. The directive is pending the approval of the Bureau’s Performance Review Committee.
Mr Chen said the Civil Service Administrative Neutrality Act prohibits a Public Servant from forcing another Public Servant to make a political statement.
The Democratic Progressive Party’s Kaohsiung City Council caucus held a news conference to decry the punishment, saying that it hearkened back to the nation’s martial law era.
However, the Bureau defended its actions in a statement saying that as a Public Servant and a member of Mr Han’s administration, the Director had made an “unfounded accusation without understanding the City Government’s policies”.
Taipei, 9 November, 2019
