Chiang dead but not forgotten

Last weekend's commemorative concert was seen as an opportunity to showcase pan-blue unity in the run-up to the 2004 presidential election. New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (郁慕明) showed up at the KMT's invitation but Soong, though on the KMT's invitation list, did not.

"Chairman Soong didn't go because it was the KMT's event. We [the PFP] have our own commemorative events as it is," PFP spokesman Hsieh Kong-ping (謝公秉) told the Taipei Times, adding that in addition to Saturday's roundtable conference to mark Chiang's death, Soong will today visit the mausoleum of Chiang in Touliao, Taoyuan County.

Ger Yeong-kuang (葛永光), professor of political science at the National Taiwan University, said that Soong probably had his own reasons for choosing not to attend the KMT's concert.

"Being a leader of a political party, I think that Soong needs to demonstrate to his party members that the PFP has its own autonomy and is its own boss," Ger told the Taipei Times. "That is maybe why Soong chose not to attend the event but went ahead and organized his party's own event in memory of Chiang," he added.

Chin said that in a long run, jumping on the Chiang bandwagon will only serve to harm the KMT and the PFP as it reminds the public that Chiang's reign was an era of military dictatorship and White Terror.

Ger, however, disagreed and said that Chiang's image would be a plus to the pan-blue camp as it will give the public nostalgia for the good old days when the economy was doing well and the social order was sound.