Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) yesterday called the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) effort to remove symbols of former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) from public spaces “an effort to ‘de-Republic of China [ROC]-ize’ and ‘desinicize’” Taiwan.
The KMT government had paid compensations, apologized, erected monuments and launched foundations about the 228 Incident when it was in power because “it believed in social harmony through understanding the historical truth, learning the lesson and letting go of the hatred,” she said.
“Sadly, the DPP government has continued to cash in on the Incident like it did [when it first came to power in 2000], and what it did for electoral gains in the name of truth-seeking now has become political persecution in the name of transitional justice,” she said.
Photo: Courtesy of a Liberty Times reader
The government is planning to “demonize Chiang as Nazi leader Adolf Hitler [has been] and crucify him on the cross of history” and cleanse Taiwan of all the symbols representing the ROC in the name of transitional justice, Hung said.
“The acts of ‘removing Chiang’s symbols’ are the core of the ‘de-ROC-ization’ or we should say ‘desinicization project,’” she said.
By constructing a narrative that the ROC is a foreign regime that massacred people, the DPP government is “laying the political groundwork for Taiwanese independence,” the KMT leader said.
In related news, KMT Legislator Lee Yan-hsiu (李彥秀) said that President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) call for the speedy passage of a bill promoting transitional justice was a fig leaf meant to cover the DPP’s poor performance.
“As the DPP is holding office, there is plenty of administrative room for it to deal with historical documents. The call for the passage of the bill within the current legislative session would only stir up more social antagonism,” Lee said.
Tsai’s pledge was only aimed at assuaging the demands of DPP supporters, Lee said.
KMT Legislator Alicia Wang (王育敏) said the committee for promoting transitional justice that is to be set up in accordance under the proposed legislation would be another unconstitutional agency that would work over the heads of current officials.
Tsai needs to stop focusing on politics and working outside the legal framework and turn her focus to the public’s daily needs, Wang said.
However, DPP Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) said the transitional justice bill is pending legislative committee review and could clear the Legislative Yuan if the government deems it necessary.
“If Taiwanese society believes that Nazi cosplay is unacceptable, there should be no insistence on worshiping an autocrat,” he said.
Citing Germany as an example, he said that its economic development and national power were not hampered by its pursuit of transitional justice.
DPP Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said people should not be so quick to label the bill political persecution, saying a fair and just examination of the bill could only be done after the concrete articles are established since the bill covers a wide range of matters.
The draft bill is necessary for transitional justice, Lo said.
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