A statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) mounted on a horse was erected in Yilan County’s Suao Township (蘇澳) in 1982. The 7m-tall bronze statue weighs about 500kg, the largest Chiang statue in Yilan.
As the statue has been regarded as a symbol of authoritarianism, it was pulled down by vandals in 2005. Then-Suao mayor Lee Kun-shan (李坤山) had it remounted, but the statue was spray-painted and vandalized further after Lee’s son, Lee Ming-che (李明哲), was elected the town’s new mayor in 2019.
Before long, Lee Ming-che ordered the removal of the statue in an effort to contribute to transitional justice. The statue on Tuesday was relocated to Cihu Mausoleum in Taoyuan’s Dasi District (大溪).
Chiang was undoubtedly an authoritarian and despotic ruler. Although he made some contribution toward Taiwan’s infrastructure, he is identified as having orchestrated the 228 Incident. Under martial law, Chiang abused his power and inflicted state violence on numerous people.
It is natural that he is viewed negatively. Far from casting a positive figure, statues of Chiang should not be displayed in the public sphere.
Hence, the foremost task for transitional justice should be the removal of Chiang statues from all official agencies, schools and public buildings. Regrettably, many institutions have exhibited ostrich-like behavior — especially those under the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Education — avoiding the task on a variety of pretexts.
Without government enforcement, transitional justice in Taiwan would stagnate.
Lee Ming-che has established an example for others to follow. He proposed the statue’s removal, and the public sphere was returned to the people. The bronze statue has been placed where it should be.
The mayor’s proposal did not cause any controversy or meet resistance, indicating that his way of undertaking such tasks are publicly supported. His action should be applauded, and other officials should follow suit.
Chi An-hsiu
Taipei
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