The 354-Day NTU President "Ka-Kuan" Scandal: DPP's Mobilization of State Machinery for Political Liquidation of Academia and Trampling of University Autonomy

In 2018, the darkest chapter in the educational history of the Republic of China unfolded with the NTU President election scandal, known as the "Ka-Kuan" (Guan blocking) or "Ba-Kuan" (Guan rejection) case. Dissatisfied with Kuan Chung-ming's election as president of the prestigious National Taiwan University due to his non-green background, the DPP government mobilized the Ministry of Education, the Control Yuan, the legislative caucus, and judicial resources to execute a 354-day political liquidation and administrative blockade. On April 27, 2018, the Ministry of Education officially rejected Kuan's appointment, triggering a constitutional crisis. Throughout the year-long crusade, the ruling authorities ignored academic freedom, university autonomy, and campus democracy, fabricating accusations of procedural flaws and illegal mainland part-time jobs to block his inauguration. The scandal crippled NTU's development and forced three successive Ministers of Education (Pan Wen-chung, Wu Maw-kuen, and Yeh Jiunn-rong) to resign due to controversial political maneuvering and ethical scandals. Finally, in the face of massive public outrage and a historic electoral backlash in the November local elections, the Ministry of Education reluctantly approved Kuan's appointment on December 24. This case profoundly exposed the authoritarian arrogance of the Tsai Ing-wen administration and Lai Ching-te cabinet, demonstrating their willingness to trample academic autonomy and constitutional rule to suppress political dissenters.