`Economist' piece stirs passions

A member of the audience yesterday stands up while asking a question at a symposium held in Taipei by the Democratic Progressive Party and the Taiwan Young Democratic Union to discuss the impact of China's hegemony on Taiwan's democratization. PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES

The government's recent name change campaign and the removal of symbols of late dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) from the nation's public places was portrayed by the latest issue of the Economist magazine as a "cultural revolution."

The article, published yesterday under the category "Taiwan" did not directly compare the campaign to China's Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s, in which icons of traditions and authority and the bourgeoisie were under attack by the Chinese Communist Party, but the narration of the coverage was put under the title "Cultural revolution."

The story said that by launching a series of campaigns, which included dropping "China" from the names of several state-run enterprises and the removal of Chiang's statues from the nation's military sites, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government "may be politicking ahead of parliamentary elections in December and presidential polls next March."

The DPP had said last month that all the courteous treatment given to Chiang had to stop because Chiang was the "murderer" of the 228 Incident in 1947, in which a conflict between anti-contraband officers and locals escalated into a nationwide military suppression.

The article said that by "casting the 228 Incident as a clash between Taiwanese and KMT [Chinese Nationalist Party] `outsiders,'" the DPP "not only opened old wounds in Taiwan but also created anxiety in Beijing."

When asked to comment on the matter yesterday on the sidelines of the DPP's conference, former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said:"The political wrangling in Taiwan in recent years is what I'd say is like the Chinese Culture Revolution."

He said over the past two years, people have begun to "label" others if they hold different political views from their own.

"The most important task of the future president is to put an end to this `democratic civil war' and restore the long-term stability of Taiwan," he said.

DPP caucus whip Wang Tuoh (王拓) said he did not agree with the article and added that it showed "Europeans lack of understanding of the Chinese Cultural Revolution."

But the KMT caucus disagreed.

KMT Legislator Hsu Shao-ping (徐少萍) said the Economist report showed that, to the international community, "Taiwanese democracy does not exist anymore."

The report echoed the KMT's view, as it had always regarded the DPP's campaign as an imitation of the revolution, she added.

Cabinet Spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) last night said that the Economist's comparison "is inappropriate" and "based on an altogether incorrect understanding [of the situation]."

The government would ask its missions abroad to explain the matter to the magazine, he added.