The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday proposed abandoning the current national anthem, saying that the party would finalize a suitable song for the country through a referendum.
In the wake of comments last Saturday by President Chen Shui-bian (
They urged the public to write a new one to replace it.
"The very first phrase of the national anthem `the Three Principles of the People, our party's aim shall be' (
The national anthem is a song that was used by the Whampoa Military Academy -- the predecessor of the Chinese Military Academy which is now in Fengshan, Kaohsiung -- in the 1920s, in the early years of the Republic of China. The lyrics were written by Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) and the party mentioned in the song is the KMT.
Huang said Taiwan's national anthem should emphasize that "all the ethnic groups in Taiwan are equal" and a profound affection to the land.
The lyrics Sun wrote were aimed at encouraging the KMT's disciples and do not match the situation in Taiwan, he said.
"All of the people of Taiwan should be able to identify with the new national anthem and it should not reveal the beliefs of any specific political party," Huang added.
But Huang also said that neither the Constitution nor other laws regulated the content of the national anthem, so if the administrative branch opposed the party's proposal, the TSU would move for a referendum to finalize the national anthem.
Ho suggested that the first phrase of the national anthem should be changed to "Principles of Taiwan, our people's aim shall be" and one of the original phrases in the national anthem "to found the Republic" should be specified as "to found the Taiwan Republic."
Ho urged people to take the inappropriateness of the current national anthem seriously and said that composing a new one would be helpful in establishing the people's identification with the country and the land.
"The TSU hopes that people who are interested in composing a new national anthem will contact us," Ho said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
RSS