President Ma Ying-jeou's spokesman rebutted Friday an accusation by opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen that the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) was the instigator of the latest brawl in the Legislative Yuan. Lo Chih-chiang said the remarks appeared to clash with the image Tsai works to maintain of being a woman of integrity. Lo made the comment in response to a report carried that day in the Liberty Times newspaper that cited Tasi as saying that the tension between the ruling and opposition parties was deliberately fomented by the KMT. Amid the approach of a widely anticipated debate between Ma and Tsai slated for April 25 on the proposed economic cooperation framework agreement with China, 'it is bad to deliberately stir up confrontation and conflict,' Tsai was quoted as saying. Lo noted that Tsai has a reputation for maintaining an image of being rational and honest, but appears now to be describing 'herself as the victim of a crime she herself committed' -- a reference to the recent violent scuffles in the Legislative Yuan blamed by the KMT on the DPP. The incident, which occurred April 21, ended with KMT Legislator Chao Li-yun, who had been presiding over a meeting to screen two controversial education bills that would pave the way for local universities to admit students from China, being taken to hospital after briefly fainting after the brawl broke out. Ma later urged Tsai not to condone her party's disruption of legislative proceedings. Regrettably, Lo said, Tsai was unrepentant and in fact accused the KMT of being the side that started the fracas. 