Woman Warrior Hung Hsiu-chu Raps Legislative Knuckles

Whether making speeches or interpellating officials, Hung Hsiu-chu is fond of quoting the classics: “‘If I have been honest in word and deed, what need have I to fear anyone?’ In these critical times, the heads of all ministries and departments need to step up, to be salespeople and communicators. They’ve got to do what needs to be done, to explain policies and win the public trust.”

So Hung told then-premier Liu Chao-­shuian during his 2008 testimony to the legislature in a statement that was an honest reflection of her plainspoken character.

Hung Hsiu-chu has been a legislator for 23 years. She has achieved great things in the educational and cultural realms, and her professionalism and experience are unmatched.

Hung decided to enter politics in part because of her father, a former official who suffered during the “White Terror.”

Her father, Hung ­Ziyu, worked for the Monopoly Bureau in mainland China before coming to Taiwan in 1946 to serve as the assistant director of Taiwan Sugar’s Yue­mei sugar mill. He was arrested in the aftermath of 1947’s February 28th Incident for making comments about the political situation. Sent to Green Island for “reeducation,” he was unable to find regular work after his release. That left the burden of supporting the family on Hung’s mother’s shoulders.

Hung reveals that her father was lonely in the latter half of his life, with ambitions beyond his reach, but that he never encouraged his children to “avenge” the wrongs he suffered. Instead, six months before he passed away he wrote a memoir reminding them: “If you have the opportunity to be a civil servant, you must be loyal, diligent, and responsible. If the job suits you, stick to it. If it doesn’t, leave it.”

After graduating from the law program at Chinese Culture University, the 23-year-old Hung took a job recommended by one of her university teachers: as head of student affairs at Xi­zhi’s Xiu­feng Middle School. She went on to earn a master’s degree in education from Missouri Northeastern University in the United States in 1991.

Hung worked virtually year round in her educational positions, sometimes also working late into the night to help parents track down students. When her father complained about her growing distance from the law, she told him: “The law only addresses surface problems, whereas education allows you to train people’s minds, teaching them to obey the law and helping place society on a more proper track. My study of law and work in education are two means to the same end. You shouldn’t be disappointed in what I’m doing.”

When Taiwan held the last round of supplementary elections for the First Legislative Yuan and the KMT its first primaries in 1989, Hung, who had previously held a low-level party position, decided to seek a nomination. She was hoping to console her father, who had long felt that his imprisonment had harmed his family and affected his children’s career prospects. Hung hoped that winning a nomination would prove to him that her career had been unaffected by his difficulties. Unfortunately, he passed away before she won the nomination and so was unable to share in her joy.

Passionate about education, Hung has served on the Commission on Education and Culture since joining the legislature, and long been its convener. She has also been a forceful advocate for legislation on educational reform, teachers’ rights, dropouts, the separation of prescribing and dispensing of medications, and national health insurance.

In 1992, at a time when there were very few women in the legislature, the Parliament Monitor Foundation called her a “fulltime, professional legislator.” In 2008, Business Weekly named her the top legislator on the educational committee.

Hung has pulled no punches in her serious disagreements with the Democratic Progressive Party over its positions on national identity and other ideological matters. “But I respect their right to express their opinions,” she says, “and welcome reasoned debate.” In August 2008, she brought secret accounts held abroad by former President Chen Shui-bian’s family to the public’s attention. Though the move infuriated Chen’s supporters, it cemented her reputation as a willing and skillful political fighter.

Perhaps surprisingly, her personality—she makes no bones about her positions and can be overbearing when proved right—hasn’t prevented her from getting along well with members of all parties in the legislature. Former DPP legislator Lan Mei-chin says simply: “Everyone should be listening to her on educational issues.” She and former DPP legislator Tai Chen-yao have tremendous respect for one another. Hung praised Tai for his concern for farmers and the underprivileged, and always co-sponsored his bills.

Deputy speaker of the legislature for four months and counting, Hung finds herself taking on new roles. She notes that she’s going to have to be fair and equitable, and closely adhere to parliamentary rules of order. She laments that she’ll be “losing the pleasure of grilling officials,” and adds, “I sometimes get impatient with the way others do the questioning. I want to tell them: ‘You should phrase it this way….’”

Lately, she’s been doing still more “leadership” work. In her role as deputy speaker, that’s meant fostering diplomacy by accompanying representatives from other nations when they visit Taiwan. In her role as a vice chair of the KMT, it’s meant leading a group to the mainland to attend the fourth annual meeting of the Straits Forum, where her earnest keynote speech made mention of her heartfelt hope for cross-strait peace.

Hung has given her all to everything she’s done, from the lecture hall, to the legislative podium, to the vice chairpersonship. Her indomitable spirit and efforts have broadened the space for a rational, clean, and fair politics, and set an outstanding example for young women considering careers in politics.