Keep the honor guard
I note in your newspaper an article in which the Transitional Justice Commission recommends discontinuing the honor guard that marches in and outside of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall every day (“Commission urges end to Chiang memorial guards” Dec. 18, page 1).
I would not endorse this, for one reason that the honor guard is such a popular attraction in Taipei. I have watched the men many times myself and they are enjoyable in their military professionalism.
Rather than end this practice, I would recommend changing the function of the honor guard from one that honors Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), to one that recognizes democracy and human rights in Taiwan.
Even in the evening, when the guard takes down the flag in front of the hall, that is close to honoring of Taiwan the nation, as opposed to Chiang Kai-shek, the dictator.
Let the guard make a good statement about what is great about Taiwan and tourists will be as happy as ever to view this.
David Russell Pendery
Taipei
DPP revealed for what it is
The ban on food products from the Japanese nuclear disaster area is both ideological and petty. It has no substance in science or common sense.
This is typical of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) adopting ideological positions rather than positions in tune with the common good.
The Japanese are entitled to be annoyed over such churlish behavior.
Taiwan needs to be a part of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The anti-nuclear ideologues are doing Taiwan a disservice by their antics and they seem to have a strong voice in the DPP. Witness the hysterical and uninformed policies of the DPP on nuclear power generation.
The DPP has, in the recent referendums, shown itself completely out of touch with public opinion on both nuclear power and same-sex marriage, and paid a heavy price in the local elections.
I find it incredible that the party strategists did not first canvass the opinions of the electorate before committing party support to these causes.
It was total incompetence on the part of party strategists, who seem to have foisted their own social activism on a largely apathetic party apparatus. In most democracies they would be sacked.
A large section of the electorate is now wary of what the DPP actually believes.
People don’t like being hoodwinked by politicians and the DPP has been caught out badly in this regard.
Gavan Duffy
Queensland, Australia
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