The nation is at a critical juncture in its national development -- the threshold where every country's questions and unresolved business concerning its past and identity are confronted and resolved.
The popular term here is "transitional justice."
If one pays attention to the headlines, it is clear that a majority of the nation's citizens identify themselves as Taiwanese, acknowledge that Taiwan used to be a dictatorship under the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and seek to nurture the seeds of Taiwanese culture and identity that were suppressed until recently.
Further steps have been taken, such as the removal of Chiang Kai-shek (
Now our state-owned enterprises are being renamed to correspond with reality. Let's not stop there.
However, at this pivotal moment in a blossoming democracy's maturation, there is, as always, potential for abuses across the political spectrum.
To the descendants of the military occupiers and the refugees that fled from China after 1945 and to their supporters, the perceived threat of transitional justice is not that it could cause ethnic tensions and provoke conflict.
Rather, they worry about any move that brings to light the abuses of the KMT's military dictatorship.
If everyone would accept the past and acknowledge the abuses of the White Terror and 228 Incident, among other things, there would be no conflict or tensions.
Transitional justice is necessary for people to move on. This month is Black History Month in the US. The racism that has plagued the US and continues to be a problem is highlighted during this month, and African-Americans are honored for their contributions to society.
The US instituted a national holiday for Martin Luther King Jr and this ceremonial month not only to honor the achievements of African-Americans, but also to promote awareness of the shameful history of slavery in the US.
Apart from a small group of white supremacists, Americans of any ethnicity do not regard Black History Month as provoking "ethnic tensions."
The advocates of transitional justice must implement policies for the sake of justice and not vengeance. That means refraining from turning this into a political issue.
In South Africa, black South Africans initiated programs to educate people and reverse the evils of apartheid. Nelson Mandela, who later became president, forgave his captors despite decades in prison. His forgiveness was just as essential for transitional justice as any other policy.
Taiwanese should do the same -- take an objective look at abuses, implement transitional justice and forgive the crimes of the past.
Mark Du
Miami, Florida
The recent passing of Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛), known to many as “Big S,” due to influenza-induced pneumonia at just 48 years old is a devastating reminder that the flu is not just a seasonal nuisance — it is a serious and potentially fatal illness. Hsu, a beloved actress and cultural icon who shaped the memories of many growing up in Taiwan, should not have died from a preventable disease. Yet her death is part of a larger trend that Taiwan has ignored for too long — our collective underestimation of the flu and our low uptake of the
For Taipei, last year was a particularly dangerous period, with China stepping up coercive pressures on Taiwan amid signs of US President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline, which eventually led his Democratic Party to force him to abandon his re-election campaign. The political drift in the US bred uncertainty in Taiwan and elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific region about American strategic commitment and resolve. With America deeply involved in the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the last thing Washington wanted was a Taiwan Strait contingency, which is why Biden invested in personal diplomacy with China’s dictator Xi Jinping (習近平). The return of
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛), known affectionately as “Big S,” recently passed away from pneumonia caused by the flu. The Mandarin word for the flu — which translates to “epidemic cold” in English — is misleading. Although the flu tends to spread rapidly and shares similar symptoms with the common cold, its name easily leads people to underestimate its dangers and delay seeking medical treatment. The flu is an acute viral respiratory illness, and there are vaccines to prevent its spread and strengthen immunity. This being the case, the Mandarin word for “influenza” used in Taiwan should be renamed from the misleading
Following a YouTuber’s warning that tens of thousands of Taiwanese have Chinese IDs, the government launched a nationwide probe and announced that it has revoked the Republic of China (Taiwan) citizenship of three Taiwanese who have Chinese IDs. Taiwanese rapper Pa Chiung (八炯) and YouTuber Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源) in December last year released a documentary showing conversations with Chinese “united front” related agency members and warned that there were 100,000 Taiwanese holding Chinese IDs. In the video, a Taiwanese named Lin Jincheng (林金城), who is wanted for fraud in Taiwan and has become the head of the Taiwan Youth Entrepreneurship Park