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DPP files complaint over history textbook changes
‘POLITICAL TOOL’: The party said it would ‘declare war’ with the Ministry of Education over its ‘political brainwashing’ and urged impeachment for its minister
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Historian Hsieh Chang-chang makes a speech on a street in Changhua County yesterday, criticizing the government’s planned changes to senior-high school textbooks.
Photo: Yen Hung-chun, Taipei Times
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday filed a complaint with the Control Yuan over what it said was the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) administrative errors in its recent effort to change high-school history textbook outlines.
The ministry approved the adjusted outlines on Monday night despite strong public outcry over its perceived attempts at “de-Taiwanization and sinicization.”
DPP deputy secretary-general Lee Chun-yi (李俊毅), spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲), Department of Social Development director Kuo Wen-pin (郭文彬) and lawyer Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) submitted the document, which listed five complaints about ministry administrative errors, to the Control Yuan yesterday afternoon.
“The MOE violated administrative procedures, the principles of neutrality and professionalism and the principle of a bottom-up consultation, and the changes were unnecessary and inconsistent with the historical facts,” Lin said.
The opaque process of the “adjustment” violated democratic principles and infringed upon the rights of students, teachers and parents, Lin added.
The ministry used “minor adjustment” as an excuse for what later became almost an overhaul of the high-school history curriculum, which betrayed historical facts, the spokesperson said, adding that the move was “political brainwashing” for the purpose of spreading a “Greater China perspective.”
Considering that Minister of Education Chiang Wei-ling (蔣偉寧) has refused to communicate with and offer an explanation to the public, the DPP caucus will “declare war with the ministry in the Legislative Yuan,” Lin said.
Lee accused Chiang of involving himself in the adjustment as a “political tool for the Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) administration” and demanded that the watchdog impeach Chiang.
Control Yuan member Ma Yi-kung (馬以工) received the complaint, saying that it would be assigned for investigation, but added that the DPP was required to back up its complaint with more information.
source: Taipei Times
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