Lam must apologize
School teacher Lam Wai-sze caused citywide uproar recently by verbally abusing police officers on duty. The board of directors of the school where she teaches issued a statement on Wednesday regarding the scandal, saying Lam’s public display of profanity seriously damaged the school’s reputation, enough reason for the school board to reprimand her appropriately. The school’s stern criticism of Lam indicates it does not condone such behavior by any teacher. However, when contacted by reporters to comment on her employer’s decision on Wednesday, Lam once again refused to apologize to the police force or the officers she verbally abused.
Lam must apologize to the Hong Kong Police Force or the school should take further disciplinary action against her. The Education Bureau, meanwhile, should continue its investigation into the scandal and take appropriate action accordingly. Since Lam may have violated the Public Security Ordinance by crossing the police line without permission and verbally abusing officers on duty, relevant authorities are obligated to uphold the rule of law by dealing with the matter according to law.
The school board states clearly that Lam’s crass behavior is incompatible with a teacher’s professional conduct and it feels deeply regrettable. This shows the school’s stand over the matter beyond any doubt that Lam was wrong, period. This also means Lam set a very bad example that nobody should follow and those who call her “Hong Kong’s model citizen” and “heroic fighter for justice” must be condemned for demeaning the established teacher’s code of conduct.
Lam not only refused to apologize to the police officers she swore at in a Web radio interview but also vowed on her Facebook page to “never give in”. Obviously she does not believe she is wrong. That is a very good reason for the school board to rethink its plea to the public and give Lam a chance to repent and mend her ways. The fact is Lam has left the school no more excuse to go easy on her.
As the authority in charge of related affairs the Education Bureau is obligated to uphold the professional honor and dignity as well as the established code of conduct of all education workers. For this reason alone it should monitor the development of Lam’s case and take whatever measure necessary to protect public interest according to relevant rules and regulations. This is an excerpted translation of a Wen Wei Po editorial published on Aug 22.