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Groups urge Ma to initiate referendum on name change

Several pan-green civic groups yesterday urged president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to hold a referendum on whether the Liberty Square and National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall should revert back to their old names.

"We urge Ma to consider holding a referendum on the name change issue. This could be a prime opportunity to show the [new] administration's ability to rise above ideology and promote ethnic reconciliation," the advocates said, using Ma's campaign slogan "Are you ready?" to question his readiness to let the public decide the fate of the hall.

LESSON

Huang Luo-fei (黃洛斐), president of the Association of Mainlander Taiwanese, said that although Ma had said that renaming the hall -- which was originally built and named after dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) -- would not be a priority if he came into office, "he must remember the lesson from the renaming of the hall from Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to its current name."

The renaming of the hall and the plaza that surrounds the mausoleum sparked a nationwide controversy last May when it was first announced.

While some believe it was a necessary move as part of transitional justice, others accused the Democratic Progressive Party of stirring up ethnic tension to rally voters ahead of the legislative elections in January and the presidential poll last month.

RESPECT

Peng Yang-kai (彭揚凱), secretary-general of the Organization of Urban Re-s, said because Ma won the election by a landslide, "he should be better equipped to deal with ethnic and ideological issues."

"It is not that we don't respect the original statues in CKS Hall or the dilemma that it presents. But we believe that no matter what decision we make, we must be able to stand blameless before future generations," he said.

Yang Chih-bing (楊志彬), the secretary-general of the Community Empowering Society, urged Ma to remember the historical significance and the symbolism behind the hall and cherish a golden opportunity to bring reconciliation amid the "ethnic" and "racial tension" that exists in Taiwan.
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