In recent press conferences and television appearances, Freddy Lim has emphasized the inclusive nature of this year's event. The musicians, filmmakers and actors behind it represent all of Taiwan's ethnic and groups and both side of the pan-blue/pan-green divide.
On a Web forum for Muse fans, a poster who identified herself as a Taiwanese resident of New Zealand was spreading the message that the festival was "directed towards Taiwan's internal politics. … Anyone who'd still be so concerned about our neighbor across the strait would be very ignorant."
But another fan was unhappy about Muse's decision to headline the concert: "It's just that [the] theme of the festival that [sic] makes me feel not so comfortable … . It's an internal thing in China after all."
Speaking to the Taipei Times on Monday, Lim said that a who's who of Taiwan's political leaders, from KMT heavyweights Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to DPP Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), have promised to attend and sign a pledge to bring "transitional justice" to Taiwan.
Lim said the goal was a process similar to South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in which the government opens all files related to 228 and the subsequent White Terror and the perpetrators are forgiven if they tell victims the truth about their deeds. "It will be a historic moment. Everyone should be there," he said.
Zhongshan Soccer Stadium is located at 1 Yumen St, Taipei (台北市玉門街1號), next to the Yuanshan (圓山) MRT station. For more information, visit www.spiritoftaiwan.com.
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