Assessing Chiang Kai-shek
When attending a forum marking the 42nd anniversary of Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) death on Wednesday, former vice president Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) praised Chiang’s contributions to Taiwan and said that if it had not been for Chiang and the restitution of Taiwan, Taiwan would still be a Japanese colony and “we would never have had presidents surnamed Lee (李) or Tsai (蔡).”
Saying something like that really sounds a bit odd.
Throughout Taiwan’s written history, there has been a series of transitions from one ruler to another, from the Dutch and Spanish rulers, through the Qing Dynasty and on to Imperial Japan.
The most recent transition took place in 1945, when rule passed from the Japanese to the Republic of China (ROC). Rulers have always come and gone, so what is this talk of “restitution” and “contributions”?
To consolidate their grip on power, rulers can either resort to a highly oppressive rule or a conciliatory approach, but the goal remains the same: to hold on to power.
It is never only about concern for the well-being of the public.
For example, was the liberalization and democratization of Taiwan really initiated by Chiang Kai-shek? I am afraid that the jury is still out on that in the absence of a more in-depth study.
Chiang has had both a positive and a negative impact on Taiwan. The 228 Incident was a negative, tragic and painful experience, while the consolidation of government power was positive, as it allowed Taiwan to quickly step out of the shadow of war.
To be able to discuss Chiang fairly and impartially requires that we clarify historical facts and lay them bare for everyone to see.
That is the only way we can get an unbiased look at Chiang without wearing pink-colored glasses.
Chen Lee-hsiang
Yunlin
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