To try to diminish the political representation of the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, a KMT lawmaker plans to propose an amendment next week that would rename the building "President Memorial Hall," where all ROC presidents would be remembered after they pass away.
Lawmaker Huang Ter-fu (黃德福) said the idea was inspired by a recent proposal to build another memorial for the late president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) raised by KMT lawmaker John Chang (章孝嚴), Chiang Ching-kuo's illegitimate son.
Huang said he does not think Chang's proposal is feasible in light of the difficulty in acquiring a site for the building.
The problem would only be exacerbated if every president is to have a memorial, Huang said.
While gathering the presidents' artifacts at one place will facilitate the comprehensive preservation of the collections, renaming the hall would also depoliticize it, Huang said.
He also said that there is no guarantee that the TSU, which has recently played up a string of controversial issues in order to capture media attention, will not one day use the issue to attack the KMT.
Under these circumstances, it would be better for the KMT to take a preemptive move, Huang proposed.
KMT legislative caucus whip Lin Yi-shih (
Lin said every lawmaker enjoys the right to raise a legislative proposal, but it is not commendable if the purpose for doing so is to put on a political show.
Unlike Lin, who took a cautious attitude toward the issue, many lawmakers expressed approval for Huang's proposal.
KMT lawmaker Shyh Jong-shyong (徐中雄) said that Taiwan should stop glorifying its dictatorial past and that the hall should pay homage to the nation's legacy of democracy.
DPP lawmaker Lin Cho-shui (林濁水) said the site of the memorial hall would be an ideal one for relocating the Legislative Yuan because it is close to the Executive Yuan and has a spacious square where people can stage demonstrations.
However, Lin said Huang's idea is also acceptable.
TSU lawmaker Chen Chien-ming (
Chen further suggested removing the bodies of the two late presidents from their mausoleums in Tzuhu and Touliao and having them buried so that the sites could be opened to the public for other purposes.
John Chang, however, is against the proposal, arguing the nation's two late presidents enjoy a different historical status from other presidents.
Though it would be convenient to exhibit all the presidents' artifacts at what is now the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, doing so would not serve to remember a head of state who had contributed a great deal to the country, Chang said.
Echoing Chang's opinion, PFP lawmaker Chin Huei-chu (秦慧珠) said other countries usually do not remember all of their presidents, but rather only build memorials for those who make outstanding contributions to their nations.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
An inauguration ceremony was held yesterday for the Danjiang Bridge, the world’s longest single-mast asymmetric cable-stayed bridge, ahead of its official opening to traffic on Tuesday, marking a major milestone after nearly three decades of planning and construction. At the ceremony in New Taipei City attended by President William Lai (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), the bridge was hailed as both an engineering landmark and a long-awaited regional transport link connecting Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里)
RSS