www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2005/04/01/2003248585
Wikipedia Legislative Yuan refuses to take shit' from banker By Jackie Lin STAFF REPORTER WITH AP Friday, Apr 01, 2005,Page 1 Steve Shieh (), chairman of the First Financial Holding Co, yesterd ay gained the media spotlight after a verbal fight with a pan-blue lawma ker in which he used an English-language expletive. Lawmakers asked Shieh for an apology, and demanded that the Ministry of F inance reconsider keeping Shieh, 66, as the head of the state-run bank F irst Financial. HEATED WORDS The senior banker -- who spent the past 10 years at Taishin Commercial Ba nk before becoming chairman of First Financial in August 2003 -- was tak ing part in a regular question-and-answer session at the legislature's F inance Committee when he told Legislator Alex Fai (OE) that he didn' t like attending such sessions. "If you don't like coming here, then just resign," Fai, a member of the C hinese Nationalist Party (KMT), told Shieh. Standing next to Shieh, Minister of Finance Lin Chuan (L) tried to hal t the heated exchange of words. But as Shieh turned away from the microphone, he uttered the four-letter English-language expletive "shit," which was audible throughout the cham ber. Fai immediately stopped his questioning and demanded that Shieh repeat th e word. Committee chairman Liao Pen-yen () also berated Shieh for his langu age, and demanded that he apologize to Fai, which he did. The Legislative Yuan has been the scene of numerous brawls, fistfights an d incidents of rival lawmakers hurling objects such as lunch boxes and b ooks at each other. SHIT'-STORM Regarding this storm in the teacup, First Financial executive vice presid ent and spokesman Huang Hsien-chuan (m) quoted Shieh as saying that his colorful response at the legislature was not aimed at the lawmaker, nor did he mean to show disrespect.
was simply very angry at the false rumors circulating around, thereby he burst out with something that people think was inappropriate ," Huang said, referring to speculation that Shieh was intending to ente r into merger talks with Taishin Financial. As for Shieh's position at First Financial, Huang said that Shieh is empl oyed by the government and that he would try his best to do his job. Whether he would have to leave the post regarding the "shit" incident is not something Shieh can decide, Huang said on behalf of Shieh.
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