The appearance of questions in the Hoklo language, more commonly known as Taiwanese, on the national exams for customs officials and police created a controversy, because non-Taiwanese-speaking test-takers could not completely understand those questions. As a result, Council for Hakka Affairs Chairwoman Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) paid a special visit to Examination Yuan President Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文), demanding a rectification, so as to avoid making waves of "ethnic discrimination" on the sea of Taiwan's complex variety of cultures. At the same time, the Ministry of Education's (MOE) amendment of the guidelines on history curricula for senior-high schools has also stirred up eddies having been accused of attempting to disassociate the Republic of China from Taiwan, because Qing Dynasty history and the history of the ROC on the Chinese "mainland" were reclassified as part of "world history." Some members of the opposition even accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of pushing for Taiwan independence in the name of "nativization."
After the DPP came into power, out of their sense of appreciation for the nativized consciousness and nativized culture, it has given top priority to the "Taiwan first" ideal.
In the past, when the Cultural Revolution broke out in China, driven by Marxist-Leninist ideology of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the Red Guards caused irreparable damage to traditional Chinese culture. As a result of such efforts to uproot what it called "old" and "outdated," a major catastrophe to the traditional Chinese culture emerged.
In contrast, Taiwan, where Chinese culture was painstakingly preserved, became a hotbed of Chinese culture. For a time, everything, from drama to cuisines to languages to kite-making to just about anything else Chinese was celebrated by Taiwanese. This is especially true in the cities, where large numbers of newcomers from China congregated.
Under the authoritarian rule of the KMT, the only thing on the mind of the regime of the Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) family was the "sacred mission" of retaking the "motherland." This in turn bound the people of Taiwan to Chinese culture. Teaching materials on history reflected solely the viewpoints of the KMT, repeatedly emphasizing the message that the history of the KMT is inexorably the same as the history of the Republic of China.
Even the essay questions of all the tests had something to do with the weighty responsibility of saving China and saving the Chinese people. Most of the students concluded their essays with dogmatic sentences like "the battle against communism inevitably will be won ...," and "one day the ROC flag will once again flutter in the wind above Nanking ..."
Moving forward
Frankly speaking, we cannot compare the authoritarian era with today's political environment where democratization is in process and the transfer of power has been realized.
Instead, we should try to think about how, against the backdrop of globalization, we can on the one hand distinguish ourselves from "socialism with Chinese characteristics" which prevails on the other side of the Taiwan Strait and, on the other hand, search for substantive Taiwan-centered culture.
As a result of education by the KMT and deliberate efforts by the KMT to overlook and suppress Taiwanese culture, people in their 30s and 40s are much more familiar with the history and geography of China than those of the soil on which they live.
Under the circumstances, to restore the cultural characteristics of Taiwan and to re-emphasize the historical and linguistic legacies of the land are entirely reasonable and necessary. The developments of culture, history and languages are not only a continuous process but also play off one another.
So, the substance of the culture emerging in this interplay cannot be dissected or divided. In other words, recognizing nativized culture must be all-encompassing, meaning that, to promote Taiwanese culture, there is really no need to deny and turn one's back on the history and culture of the past.
Respecting diversity
A Taiwan-centered culture should not prefer the language or culture of any particular ethnic group. Rather, it should respect diversity, and merge all segments of culture on this soil because the Taiwanese language is not the only language in Taiwan.
We are happy to see curricula include Taiwanese culture. However, we oppose test questions based on a narrow-minded policy. While the move was obviously intended to be an innovation in breaking through a preference for Mandarin, it failed to take into consideration fairness and justice toward all non-Taiwanese-speaking groups.
Tests should not be used as a way to evaluate ideological, cultural and linguistic orientation. As for whether the new guidelines for the history curriculum at senior-high-school level attempt to disassociate Taiwan from the ROC, it is something that should be openly subjected to public debate. Viewpoints about the history of this country must be from a fair and impartial angle. It cannot favor the views of any political faction.
Creating dialogue
Scholars and experts who take part in drafting curriculum guidelines must explain through impartial public forums the goals and policy considerations underlying the revisions made. Search for consensus before formulating guidelines. Do not cast all the blame on the minister of education or think from the zero-sum perspective of different academic or political factions. Doing so will only complicate the issue, making it even more difficult to reach a consensus.
It is equally wrong to try to please everyone by complying with every demand that comes along. This would only end up with excessively weighty curricula and confuse children, throwing them into an identity tailspin.
In a nutshell, we must understand decisions on how we teach the history of this country and decisions which will affect its cultural evolution should not be made in isolation and behind close doors. We should not be self-indulgent. Rather, we ought to embrace our links with the world. We must incorporate our understanding of local history with that of world history. We must also gain insight on Taiwan's past and re-examine its place in the history of the Asia.
Therefore, we solemnly advise the MOE to have the courage and take the responsibility to hold forums to debate curricula in the absence of an obvious consensus on teaching materials well before teachers are trained based on such materials. Search for a Taiwan-centered culture this way. It is better to be slow than to move ahead in haste.
The Examination Yuan should never again practice ethnic and linguistic discrimination. This is the way to avoid needless ideological debates and identity confusion as a result of factional twisting of the fundamental spirit of the educational reforms and nativization campaign.
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