The Beijing Municipal Government should clarify the controversy over Jiang Deli’s identity instead of shifting the focus to the Ministry of Education

Reporter Lin Xiaoyun/Feature

There is controversy over the identity of Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan's son Chiang Deli and his exchange with the United States. In response to external questions, the Taipei City Government should clearly explain the facts, systems and procedures. However, Yin Wei, the chairperson of the Taipei City Government Research and Examination Committee, said, "The State Education Department is here to check whether Chiang Deli is an overseas Chinese student." This turned the controversy from Chiang Deli to the Ministry of Education. When political offense and defense begin to replace factual clarification, the real questions that should be answered are drowned out.

What is most worth asking about this whole thing is, what is the evidence for the so-called "State Education Bureau came to investigate"? After the State Education Bureau conducted an investigation, it publicly denied that it had initiated any investigation, inquiry or administrative procedure, nor did it assign personnel to inquire with the Taipei City Education Bureau. The Taipei City Education Bureau itself did not confirm the identity of the inquirer. Just because the person claimed to be a member of the National Education Department, city officials publicly classified it as "the National Education Department came to investigate." Such accusations obviously lacked due verification and raised doubts as to whether this person was really there.

Please read on...

Yin Wei later asked, since his "identity is unknown", how do you know he is not from the State Education Bureau? But this simply reverses the burden of proof. Since it was Yin Wei who made the public accusation that "the State Education Department came to investigate," the responsibility to prove that the other party was a member of the State Education Department naturally rested with Yin Wei who made the accusation, rather than requiring the accused agency to prove that an unknown person "is not one of my people."

What's more, the High School Affiliated to National Taiwan Normal University where Chiang Deli studied is a national school and is not under the supervision of the Taipei City Education Bureau. If the National Education Bureau really wanted to find out about this matter, why would it need to go through the Taipei City Education Bureau and ask an unknown person to inquire during the tea break of the meeting? Obviously not a normal administrative procedure.

Politicians can attack and defend, but civil servants should not become political targets for no reason. Drawing the central government into the controversy without evidence and then asking the central government to prove its innocence is tantamount to using "political squid juice" in an attempt to muddy an originally clear issue.

The Jiang Deli incident has aroused public discussion. What the Beijing Municipal Government should really do is not to find new political opponents, but to understand why the public has doubts and dissatisfaction, and to clarify the system and procedures of identity, admission and exchange to the United States. In the face of controversy, the best crisis management is never to change the focus, but to return to the facts.