Chuang again apologizes over Ma remarks

Chuang Kuo-jung, who resigned as secretary-general of the Education Ministry shortly after making the remarks on March 16, said he felt sorry that his improper remarks had “canceled out the efforts of many other people.”

His remarks have been partly blamed for the crushing defeat that ruling Democratic Progressive Party candidate Frank Hsieh suffered in last Saturday’s presidential election.

Chuang maintained that the written statement of apology he had issued had been penned by himself, dismissing speculation that someone else from the DPP camp had written it on his behalf.

During a DPP campaign March on March 16, Chuang commented on an extramarital affair that Ma’s now deceased father had allegedly had years ago.

The bombshell sent Hsieh and Education Minister Tu Cheng-sheng scrambling to control the damage by making public apologies for Chuang’s remarks.

Chuang also issued a written apology, but disappeared from the spotlight in the final days before the March 22 election.

Prior to Chuang’s remarks, Hsieh was seen as closing the gap with the KMT frontrunner.

But some opinion polls showed that Chuang’s abusive words had a devastating impact on Hsieh’s campaign, widening the gap between the two candidates.

While Chuang, like Tu, has seen his brief stint as the secretary-general often dogged by controversy, he said he never regretted having served in the ministry.

He said it was a precious experience to have worked with people who cared about education reform, and that it is inevitable to make mistakes or face difficulties, but the crucial thing is that one must correct those mistakes and move on.

He has now returned to his teaching position at National Chengchi University.

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