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LETTERS: Knowing our history is vital

Recent polls in Taiwan suggest one-sided support for Ma over Democratic Progressive Party candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷).

It is pathetic that younger people have forgotten how their parents and grandparents lived through the White Terror period and Martial Law era.

Many good people and young leaders were ruthlessly killed by the KMT regime. Their parents' generation were scared to death.

They chose to be silent over the 228 Incident for many many years.

Some chose to leave their loved ones and homeland behind to seek exile in other countries.

Some were blacklisted and not even allowed to return to Taiwan to attend their parent's funerals.

Ma is no different than People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜). Both were active participants in serving that regime and were enforcers of martial law and the White Terror.

Soong lost the trust of the people after his ill-fated vice-presidential campaign when he could not explain where he got the money to buy his son five expensive properties in the US.

Ma still cannot explain how he amassed a fortune which does not match his income. Is he telling the truth about having a US green card?

Has he changed his old beliefs about uniting with China just to appease Taiwanese voters?

To these important questions he simply replies "thank you."

Now it is fine for KMT Chairman Wu Po-hsiung (吳伯雄) to be KMT boss after his uncle was killed by his party elders' generation. What a sad shame for Wu.

I am pained to see younger Taiwanese enjoy the fruits of hard-fought democracy and freedom while being blinded to the history of what happened getting there.

Tien C. Cheng

Libertyville, Illinois
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