After euphoria comes pain
The Ministry of Education has made “micro” adjustments of high-school textbooks behind closed doors and the adjusted textbooks will be used starting in August in spite of judicial objections (Editorial, April 23, page 8).
The important historical facts, such as the 228 Incident in 1947 and the subsequent 38-year White Terror era have been deleted as if such inhumane actions by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) never occurred.
This act is a terror itself. The “de-Taiwanization” of youths’ minds is the main objective of the adjusted textbooks.
The “micro” adjustments have been turned into macro and distasteful adjustments. Is this what President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wants to be remembered for? History will blame Ma.
Ma has a habit of changing “Taiwan” to the “Republic of China” (ROC) in any contracts or agreements, despite saying that he loved Taiwan whenever he ran for office. It is doubtful that the name Republic of China is used in the agreements he signed with China.
It is also questionable whether he can change the Taiwan Relations Act into the ROC Relations Act. Ma should never forget that Taiwan is forever and the ROC is only transient.
Ma also likes to say that the Treaty of Taipei, which was signed in 1952 with the government of Japan following the San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1951, was the one in which Taiwan was returned to the ROC. Apparently he is too lazy to read the texts and treats Taiwanese as if they were illiterates.
History will picture Ma as an ugly Chinese politician who betrayed Taiwan.
Ma recently said that Taiwanese were happy during his seven-year administration. He must be out of his mind to make this claim. He believes Taiwanese are the third-happiest people behind North Koreans and Chinese.
What Taiwanese really feel is that under Ma, they have suffered seven years of pain.
Charles Hong
Columbus, Ohio
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