National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall reopened to the public yesterday, with the 10m high statue of dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) remaining in the lobby of the hall, which has been decorated with kites to reflect the theme of "a democratic wind."
Amid sporadic shouting outside the hall, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) delivered the opening speech inside the heavily guarded building yesterday morning, saying that the name change of the hall and new inscription on the main arch signified that authoritarianism had ended and that an era of freedom and democracy had begun.
"Freedom and democracy have become part of our life, like the air we breathe each day," he said. "They do not come easily, however. Our ancestors fought for them, sacrificing their personal safety and even their lives."
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
The renaming of the hall, which was carried out under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, met with strong opposition. The inscription on the gateway -- dazhong zhizheng (大中至正), referring to Chiang's "great neutrality and perfect uprightness" -- was subsequently replaced with "Liberty Square."
Chen said the name change and the two exhibitions that opened at the hall yesterday would remind people that democracy and liberty come at a price and that Taiwanese must cherish those hard-earned achievements.
Ahead of the opening yesterday, there had been speculation that the administration would dismantle the statue or cover it up. Chen said the government would do neither.
Chen said that since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) came to power in 2000, his administration had made every effort to remove relics of authoritarianism.
During his term as Taipei mayor, Chen said, he changed Chiehshou Road's (介壽路) name to Ketagalan Boulevard to demonstrate his goodwill toward Aborigines and renamed Taipei New Park to 228 Peace Park -- in commemoration of the government crackdown on the civilian uprising that became known as the "228 Incident."
During his presidency, Chen replaced a sign that had hung over the entrance to the Presidential Office since 1948 -- Chiehshou Hall (介壽館) -- with a new sign that simply read "Presidential Office."
Chen said the reopening of the hall symbolized the "opening of the door of democracy" and that it transformed "a temple" worshipping a dictator to a venue where all people can freely reflect and learn the true meaning of democracy and human rights.
"We believe history will speak for itself and people will learn from history," he said. "That is the true meaning of the reopening."
Ministry of Education Secretary-General Chuang Kuo-jung (莊國榮), who had floated the idea of covering up the statue, yesterday said that it was one of the many options the ministry had considered.
The main hall, where the statue stands, is decorated with kites and large posters featuring themes from the nation's democratic movement.
The kites represent achieving freedom, Chuang said, like a butterfly that emerges from its cocoon.
He said the decorations cost about NT$1 million (US$31,000), substantially less than the price of the statue -- NT$23 million -- and the building itself -- NT$1.2 billion.
Asked about Vice President Annette Lu's (
Tu asked reporters attending the opening ceremony to decide for themselves whether the changes to the hall were worthy of praise or not.
"The way various media outlets report on today's event will be an indication of the development of media freedom and neutrality in the 20 years since the lifting of martial law," he said.
At an election rally event on Saturday in Jhonghe (
Chueh Feng-shih (闕豐實), a 67-year-old Taipei resident invited by the organizers to attend the ceremony, said he felt sad when he saw the names of all the victims of the 228 Incident posted on the wall.
He did not think the statue of Chiang should be removed. The statue can serve as a reminder to the public of the atrocities that Chiang committed during his rule, Chueh said.
Another guest, who identified herself only as Mrs Chen, agreed, saying that it was only right to educate the public both about the dictator's crimes and his contributions.
Her husband, Mr Su, however, said the statue should be melted, made into a missile and used against China.
Additional reporting by Jenny W. Hsu
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
KEY INDUSTRY: The vice premier discussed a plan to create a non-red drone supply chain by next year, which has been allocated a budget of more than NT$7.2 billion The government has budgeted NT$44.2 billion (US$1.38 billion) to cultivate Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry over the next five years, which would make the nation a major player in the industry’s democratic supply chain in the Asia-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. Cho made the remarks during a visit to the facilities of Cub Elecparts Inc (為升電裝). Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝依鳳) also participated in the trip. Cub Elecparts has transitioned from the automotive industry to the defense industry, which is the top priority among the nation’s
UPGRADED MISSILE: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is reportedly to conduct a live-fire test of the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile on Thursday next week The US Army is planning to build new facilities to boost explosives production and strengthen its supply chain, a move aimed at addressing munitions shortages and supporting obligations to partners including Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, Defense News reported. The army has issued a sources sought notice for a proposed Center of Excellence at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the report said. The facility would serve as a hub within the US industrial base for the production of key military explosives, including research department explosives (RDX) and high melting explosives (HMX), while also supporting research and development of next-generation materials. The proposed
SOUTH KOREA DISPUTE: If Seoul continues to ignore its request, Taiwan would change South Korea’s designation on its arrival cards, the foreign ministry said If South Korea does not reply appropriately to a request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, the government would take corresponding measures to change how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. Taipei has asked Seoul to change the wording. Since March 1, South Koreans who hold government-issued Alien Resident Certificates (ARC) have been identified as from “South Korea” rather than the “Republic of Korea,” the
RSS