Focusing on history
History should be a mirror that truly reflects past records. Unfortunately, dictators always like to twist it.
Is Taiwan a part of China? While the answer is “no,” the Ministry of Education said “yes” and forcibly inserted it into high-school curriculum guidelines set to take effect today.
The revision of the guidelines is totally China-centric; it is de-Taiwanization and it is de-Japanization. It lacked transparency: The names of the curriculum committee members were not made public and high-school history class teachers were excluded from the review process. Furthermore, the Northern Taiwan Anti-
Curriculum Changes Alliance has been asking for dialogue with the ministry since February last year, but it has been ignored.
Last month, 24 high-school students, three reporters and six civilians who broke into and occupied Minister of Education Wu Se-hwa’s (吳思華) office in protest of the curriculum changes were arrested. During the arrests they were allegedly bit and trampled on, their hands were bound and they were dragged away. While public opinion has criticized the ministry’s abuse of police power, Wu said: “As a minister, I have no power to respond to student requests.”
If the minister overseeing education does not have the power to respond to student requests, then who does? It must be his boss, that guy with a 9.2 percent approval rating and poor knowledge of Taiwan’s history, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
The so-called “minor adjustments” to the curriculum guidelines try to erase the 228 Massacre and the White Terror period from history. They also twist the Republic of China’s (ROC) military occupation of Taiwan into the glorious Taiwan Retrocesssion Day. These historical “facts” are a complete distortion of history. It is such a shame that Ma, a Harvard Law School graduate, and Wu are not aware of it. They really need to retake a high-school history class.
Taiwan was officially ceded to Japan by the Qing Emperor according to the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895. Although Japan renounced all right, title and claim to Formosa and the Pescadores according to the Treaty of San Francisco in 1951, the treaty does not explicitly state the sovereignty status of Taiwan after Japanese renunciation; the ROC government was never given sovereignty over Taiwan.
Last month, former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) pointed out that Taiwan has been ruled by foreign powers for more than 400 years. He even noted that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is also a “foreign” power. When Lee succeeded Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) as president, he tried his best to establish a Taiwanese identity and enhance the dignity of the nation’s people. He rejected the “one China” theory and instead promoted a two-state theory. He pointed out the main problem for Taiwan is using the unsuitable ROC Constitution. He believed that to ensure long-term stability, the ambiguous relationship between Taiwan and China should be clarified.
Wu has flagrantly ignored the High Administrative Court’s judgement in February that the adjustments to the high-school curriculum guidelines are illegal. Now he has bent the rules to force them into effect.
However, Wu has said he cannot stand the violation of rules, so why does he not ask himself what the penalty should be for violating a court’s judgement?
KMT presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) has linked the protests to the presidential election and accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of being “the party behind the protests.”
She even told the DPP to “get its hands off” young people and to stop teasing, which is unthinkable in a democratic nation.
Hung claimed the curriculum adjustments were “way too minor” and “far from enough.”
“We are simply returning [the curriculum] back to the right track — a track that is in accordance with the ROC Constitution,” she said.
Even with the Constitution, the ministry still needs to follow court judgements. DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said the real cause of the problem is the ministry’s mishandling of the curriculum adjustment plan, which triggered hostility and disputes. However, Wu’s insistence on legal action against the students is even worse. What a shame!
This is a critical moment in history for Taiwanese. They must decide whether the focus of their history will be Taiwan or China.
John Hsieh
Hayward, California
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.