A plan by the Taichung County Government to build a 921 earthquake museum has drawn sharp criticism from the area's quake victims, who say government officials are more interested in profits than constructing a monument to history.
The county government plans to tear down and relocate Kwangfu Elementary School (光復國小), though it was little damaged by the quake, residents say. The proposed museum would go in its place.
"We regard such a scheme as a waste of money, especially while reconstruction efforts need greater resources," said Chou Tsu-wang (周祖望), president of the primary school parents' association, at a press conference yesterday.
Chou added that many other residents also view the museum plan as wasteful.
The TVBS Caring for Taiwan Foundation has donated NT$150 million toward the museum project and will oversee its construction, including handling of the bidding process. In addition, the Ministry of Finance will make up the balance of the required funds, though that amount has yet to be determined.
But Chou is suspicious of local officials' motives, positing that they actually want to sell the land on which the Kwangfu Elementary School sits.
"If the size of the museum is, as seems likely, conditioned by budgetary constraints, the remaining land will just be sold off," Chou said.
"Because only a handful of powerful companies will be in a position to compete for such land, we wonder whether officials have an eye on" potential profits, Chou said.
Chou added that the county government would receive half the profit from any land deal.
But Taichung County Commissioner Liao Yung-lai (
"How do they know we'll definitely sell the land? The accusations are just groundless and based on nothing more than prejudice and self-interest. They're afraid that losing a local educational institution will cause the village to decline," Liao said.
Furthermore, the county government has said its decision to relocate the elementary school was based on safety factors: surveys indicate the building is located less than 100m from a fault line.
"Moving the educational institution away has nothing to do with the establishment of the museum," Liao said.
The commissioner added that there was no plan to build the planned museum at the same location as the school.
But that account differs from statements from sources within the Ministry of Education. The sources say that the site earmarked in plans for the museum include area in which the school is located.
If the school is being moved for safety reasons, "why set up a museum on the same spot?" said representatives of Kwangfu New Village (
Residents said that buildings in California are permitted within 15m of a fault line. They said it was unnecessary to demolish the school because parts of its building are no closer than 25m.
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