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Historians urge learning from nation's past

"It was quite self-destructive for the Taiwanese to see the KMT's occupation ... as the return to the mother nation... We can blame no one but ourselves for the current difficult struggle for independence, because we didn't do enough back then."

Lee Yung-chih, National Taiwan University history professor

On the eve of the 59th anniversary of the end of WWII, historians yesterday said the Taiwanese people -- who had missed an opportunity to gain independence along with other post-war colonial movements -- should wake up and recognize the values of self-determination and self-sufficiency in seeking to bolster the nation.

In a seminar held by the Modern Academic Research Foundation, Lee Yung-chih (李永熾), a National Taiwan University history professor, said the end of WWII marked the start of a tragic passage in the Taiwanese people's struggle for a sense of national belonging.

"The end of WWII was also a beginning for colonies who were seeking independence ... former British colonies gained independence through peaceful negotiations, and some French-ruled colonies reached this goal through the use of force. But Taiwan unfortunately didn't catch this global wave of colonial independence movements, because of the lack of a strong sense of self-determination," said Lee.

Lee said the awakening of the public's desire for nationhood came very slowly. This yearning for an independent nation was repressed during Japan's colonization. Therefore, when the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) forces claimed sovereignty over the country after the war ended, the Taiwanese people didn't hesitate to embrace the so-called "mother nation" of the Republic of China.

It took them 50 years to realize that KMT rule shattered their aspirations for a sense of national belonging.

"It was quite self-destructive for the Taiwanese to see the KMT's occupation ... as the return to the mother nation," Lee said. "How many years have the Taiwanese been living in that state of degradation? We can blame no one but ourselves for the current difficult struggle for indepen-dence, because we didn't do enough back then."

Hsueh Hua-yuen (薛化元), a history professor at National Chengchi University, said that many historical facts were distorted by the KMT to legitimize its rule of the nation.

"It was wrong for the KMT to justify its legitimacy to rule Taiwan through the Cairo Statement (which stated that all Japanese-occupied territories including Taiwan should be returned to `China'). We all know the transfer of territories is only legal through the signing of a treaty, not the announcement of a statement. But the KMT manipulated history and lied to our people," Hsueh noted.

Academia Historica President Chang Yen-hsien (張炎憲) said the word "retrocession," commonly used to describe Taiwan's being taken over by ROC on Oct. 25 1945 has undermined the individuality and independence of Taiwanese people.

"Such a retrocession [to China] doesn't mean the restoration of a Taiwan nation nor does it mean the end of the state of colonization. Rather, the use of [the word] retrocession has impeded the building of a national identity," he said.

Chang said the uncertainty of Taiwanese people facing the failure of the Japanese occupation, and their high expectations at the KMT's arrival -- which led to a series of disappointments culminating in the 228 Incident -- should be recaptured to highlight the historical vulnerability of the Taiwanese people.
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