Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers and victims of political repression yesterday backed Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) for promoting the transformation of Taipei’s Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall after she was slapped in the face by a former entertainer who opposed the policy.
“It was painful to see the minister insulted for believing in and working to promote transitional justice. We felt as if we had been slapped in the face ourselves,” 1950s White Terror Victims’ Association president Lan Yun-juo (藍芸若) said as she read out a joint statement by political victims and their families.
Her father, Lang Ming-ku (藍明谷), a then-32-year-old high-school teacher in Keelung, was arrested and executed without trial in 1951 for advocating social reforms.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
While people have the right to freely express their opinions, “using physical violence or verbal insults is not only undemocratic, but a sign that authoritarianism continues to exist,” the statement said.
Cheng was on Tuesday slapped in the face by former entertainer Lisa Cheng (鄭心儀) at a Lunar New Year banquet for veteran entertainers hosted by Chinese Television System (華視).
Shortly after the attack, Lisa Cheng said that the minister “had it coming” for attempting to erase Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) from history and discredit his contribution to the nation.
“The incident showed that Taiwanese society has yet to outgrow its authoritarian past and that work to promote transitional justice began too late,” the statement said.
The transformation of the memorial hall and the removal of authoritarian symbols are required under the Act on Promoting Transitional Justice (促進轉型正義條例), and Cheng Li-chiun has worked to encourage open dialogue on both subjects when promoting related policies, it said.
The statement praised her commitment to transitional justice and condemned the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for “irrationally” blocking the Transitional Justice Commission’s budget last month.
“Transitional justice must not be further delayed or compromised,” the statement added.
The statement was signed by five civic groups devoted to the rights of political victims: the 1950s White Terror Victims’ Association, the Taiwan Association for the Care of the Victims of Political Persecution During the Martial Law Period, the Taiwan 228 Incident Care Association, the 228 Memorial Foundation and the Taiwan Association of Political Incidents During the Martial Law Period.
Tuesday’s incident was fueled by a misunderstanding of transitional justice, DPP Legislator Yu Mei-nu (尤美女) said.
“Work to promote transitional justice has been erroneously dumbed down and described as an attempt to erase Chiang from history and divide society, when it is actually about discovering historical truth and seeking justice for past political victims,” she said.
The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is an obvious symbol of authoritarianism and its transformation is essential to promote transitional justice, DPP Legislator Chou Chun-mi (周春米) said, adding that the transformation would be “a democratic evolution, rather than erasing Chiang.”
While people can have different opinions on the issue, using violence is unacceptable, she said.
She urged the KMT to share responsibility for promoting transitional justice, saying it was a shame that KMT Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) attempted to justify violence.
Shortly after the incident, Hau wrote on Facebook that the slap was a result of “the government forcing people to rebel” and that many people have been hurt by the government’s desinicization efforts.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
RSS