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President praises life and work of democratic trailblazer

Chiang Wei-shui, rear left, participated in a petition drive held in Tokyo for the establishment of a Taiwanese parliament. Others present include Chen Feng-yuan, front left, and Tsai Pei-huo, front right. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE COUNCIL FOR CULTURAL AFFAIRS, EXECUTIVE Y

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday attended a gathering commemorating the 70th anniversary of the death of Chiang Wei-shui (蔣渭水), a trailblazer of Taiwan's democracy movement.

President Chen applauded Chiang's achievement and appealed to the public to uphold his ideals to construct a genuine democratic state.

He said that a slogan introduced 70 years ago by Chiang, "Fellow countrymen unite, unity brings true power," was like a clarion call to his countrymen to build a mighty nation.

"The concise yet appealing catchphrase after 70 years has proved to be an eternal truth. It is like a tocsin for us, and we hope the sound will reach the heart of each countryman and political leader," Chen said.

The president made the remarks when addressing the ceremony commemorating Chiang -- the founder of the Taiwan Culture Association (台灣文化協會) and the Taiwan People's Party (台灣民眾黨), the country's first political party.

Besides Chen, a host of politicians, intellectuals, physicians and the social elite also appeared at yesterday's gathering, which was initiated by Huang Huang-hsiung (黃煌雄), a Control Yuan member, and co-sponsored by the Council for Cultural Affairs (文建會) and the Academia Historica (國史館).

"When remembering Chiang ... Taiwanese have to ponder how to establish effective party politics through partisan cooperation and competition."

Chen Shui-bian, president of Taiwan

While lauding the achievements made by Chiang in igniting a social movement under the Japanese occupation, the president used the occasion to call on the public to forge a genuine democracy in line with the liberal spirit inspired by Chiang.

"When remembering Chiang, the founder of the nation's premier political party, Taiwanese have to ponder how to establish effective party politics through partisan cooperation and competition after we finally gained the freedom to form parties," the president said.

Chen urged the gathering to always recall the accomplishments made by its forefathers. He said due to political causes and the lack of teaching of Taiwanese history in our educational system, Chiang's spirit and efforts in striving for national dignity have passed into oblivion.

The president therefore suggested the government and responsible departments reintroduce historical personalities in the curriculum of elementary and high schools, so as to allow ancestors' life stories to be truthfully chronicled in history.

A literati, physician and forerunner of the Taiwanese nationalist movement under Japan's rule, Chiang Wei-shui was born in 1891 in Ilan county.

Chiang's nationalist consciousness emerged after he entered the Taipei Medical School (台北醫學校, now the medical department of National Taiwan University) in 1910 where he became friendly with other intellectuals.

In 1921, Chiang launched the first large-scale cultural enlightenment movement in Taiwan when he organized the Taiwan Culture Association, saying he sought to "uproot Taiwanese intellectual malnu-trition." To achieve this end, Chiang toured the nation lecturing and forming seminars and was dubbed "the nation's head of culture."

In addition to cultural activities, Chiang was a crucial leader in cultivating a sense of national awareness in Taiwanese society under the Japanese.

In 1923, Chiang was incarcerated for the first time, being accused of violating a security law. Determined not to let his jailing break his spirit, Chiang read avidly in jail, contemplated the nature of society, and wrote voluminously on humanitarian issues.

He founded the Taiwan People's Party, the nation's first political party in 1927. He also organized the New Taiwan Alliance and the Taiwanese Labor Alliance in the quest for a more liberal and independent state.

Chiang wrote political columns opposing Japanese atrocities, most of which were published in Taiwan's People's Newspaper, and conveyed his thoughts through speeches. He was jailed a dozen times during his lifetime and was eulogized as "the savior of Taiwanese" when he died in 1931 at the age of 40.
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