Activists from the arts and humanities calling for sweeping reforms have sent invitations to the campaign headquarters of the three presidential contenders — President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) — calling on the candidates to debate cultural policy and development strategies.
Chang Tieh-chih (張鐵志), a culture pundit, who is also a key member of the Cultural Age Foundation Preparatory Office, said the group looks forward to engaging in dialogue with the presidential candidates and that it would like them to come up with substantive cultural policy reform packages.
The preparatory office was formed by Chang and other like-minded individuals from the world of art and literature after the government’s extravagant spending on a musical production for the Republic of China’s centennial National Day celebration last month drew strong public criticism.
The controversy over the musical Dreamers (夢想家), which was produced and presented for just two nights at a cost of more than NT$215 million (US$7.1 million), prompted then-Council for Cultural Affairs minister Emile Sheng (盛治仁) to resign on Friday last week.
Chang said Sheng’s resignation was just one of the group’s nine demands, which also included an end to the politicization and commercialization of cultural activities, and an increase in the cultural budget to 4 percent of annual government expenditure, from its current level of 1.3 percent.
An online “End the Centennial Fireworks and Begin the Cultural Age” signature drive has so far won the support of nearly 2,000 artists as well as ordinary people from around the country, Chang said.
Noting that the campaign’s top goal is the formulation of a forward-looking cultural policy rather than just a changing of the guard at the Council for Cultural Affairs, Chang said that cultural policy is badly in need of an overhaul.
Tseng Dau-hsiong (曾道雄), an opera baritone who won this year’s National Award for Arts, said he was saddened by the absence of dialogue between the government and arts circles when it comes to personnel reshuffles at the council and the planning of cultural policy.
Sheng’s resignation and the appointment of former education minister Ovid Tzeng (曾志朗) as the new Council for Cultural Affairs minister were both examples of political expediency, Tseng said.
Chen Chieh-jen (陳界仁), winner of the 2009 National Award for Arts, shared Tseng’s views, saying that if the government had maintained a dialogue with the arts and humanities community, the Dreamers scandal would never have happened.
Chen said he hoped the focus on such ephemera as fireworks displays and street carnivals could be rethought, with more attention given to equitable budget distribution and the encouragement of creative artistic performances.
The activists said they plan to demonstrate outside the council again on Monday, when new minister is scheduled to take office.
Responding to their call, Council for Cultural Affairs Deputy Minister Lee Jen-fang (李仁芳) said the council always had its doors open and that it welcomed advice from cultural and arts circles.
“We will step up dialogue with artists in preparation for the drafting of a white paper on cultural development in the future,” Lee said.
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