Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supporter who launched a recall petition against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kuen-cheng (李坤城), is suspected of using forged signatures and other crimes. The evening Sung was summoned to the New Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office for questioning, he showed up carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and wearing an armband with a swastika on it. He also made a Nazi salute. All of this was done in front of cameras.
Sung’s actions not only trampled on Taiwan’s hard-earned democracy, they have led to condemnation from the representative offices of several countries, most notably Germany and Israel. This is extremely damaging to Taiwan’s international image.
Four KMT legislators defended Sung’s action, calling it a satirical jab against the DPP, whom Sung and others have repeatedly called an authoritarian regime. These KMT politicians’ attitudes not only reflect the party’s tolerance of authoritarian symbols, but also show their indifference to public sentiment. The four legislators owe the public an apology. The situation shows how urgently transitional justice needs to be implemented.
What is even more preposterous is that while the KMT accuses the many independent civic organizations that have launched campaigns to recall KMT legislators are being manipulated by or are a front for the DPP, its own recall campaigns against DPP lawmakers are headed by members of its Youth League who claim they are legitimate, independent civic organizations.
The KMT recall campaigns are now under investigation on suspicion of copying names from its members’ list and forging signatures, along with other legal violations. However, instead of addressing this issue, the KMT is attempting to distract and change the narrative by claiming judicial persecution.
It is unclear whether Sung is a pawn being manipulated behind the scenes by elements within the KMT leadership. However, the public should be wary of the fact that the KMT has not once taken a hard look at or truly reckoned with its authoritarian past. The KMT is unwilling to promote transitional justice within the party, which is why it attracts supporters with extremist views, and even gives them the right to speak up and lead civic or political movements.
Nazi glorification is not a joke, and it is not something that should be turned into a political stunt. The Nazis were a political force that took a major European democracy toward war and national destruction. If Taiwan is not on guard against such extremism, we as a society could end up paying a heavy price.
The KMT has always remained silent on China’s human rights issues, yet domestically, the party has no problem publicly blocking compensation to political victims, or the liquidation of its ill-gotten party assets and the advance of transitional justice. This double standard evinces typical authoritarian logic and deranged values.
A sprawling memorial hall complex to a dictator paid for long ago with public funds still stands tall and proud at the intersection of several major arteries in downtown Taipei — the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. Our currency is still minted with the image of this authoritarian ruler and the KMT’s symbols.
If we do not face up to and reflect on this symbolism as early as possible, the remnants of the KMT’s party-state authoritarian culture and worldview would continue to permeate our society, and would only give rise to more extremists like Sung. This permeation could go as far as to morph into the party’s ideological backbone, and would continue to threaten our democratic institutions.
Transitional justice is not solely about teaching history and righting wrongs, but also about ensuring our future. We can only firmly plant ourselves and advance if we have a proper and accurate view of history, and clear away the remnants of authoritarianism.
Ni-an Chou is the chairwoman of the Taiwan Solidarity Union and a former legislator.
Translated by Tim Smith
On Sept. 3 in Tiananmen Square, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) rolled out a parade of new weapons in PLA service that threaten Taiwan — some of that Taiwan is addressing with added and new military investments and some of which it cannot, having to rely on the initiative of allies like the United States. The CCP’s goal of replacing US leadership on the global stage was advanced by the military parade, but also by China hosting in Tianjin an August 31-Sept. 1 summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which since 2001 has specialized
In an article published by the Harvard Kennedy School, renowned historian of modern China Rana Mitter used a structured question-and-answer format to deepen the understanding of the relationship between Taiwan and China. Mitter highlights the differences between the repressive and authoritarian People’s Republic of China and the vibrant democracy that exists in Taiwan, saying that Taiwan and China “have had an interconnected relationship that has been both close and contentious at times.” However, his description of the history — before and after 1945 — contains significant flaws. First, he writes that “Taiwan was always broadly regarded by the imperial dynasties of
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will stop at nothing to weaken Taiwan’s sovereignty, going as far as to create complete falsehoods. That the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has never ruled Taiwan is an objective fact. To refute this, Beijing has tried to assert “jurisdiction” over Taiwan, pointing to its military exercises around the nation as “proof.” That is an outright lie: If the PRC had jurisdiction over Taiwan, it could simply have issued decrees. Instead, it needs to perform a show of force around the nation to demonstrate its fantasy. Its actions prove the exact opposite of its assertions. A
A large part of the discourse about Taiwan as a sovereign, independent nation has centered on conventions of international law and international agreements between outside powers — such as between the US, UK, Russia, the Republic of China (ROC) and Japan at the end of World War II, and between the US and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) since recognition of the PRC as the sole representative of China at the UN. Internationally, the narrative on the PRC and Taiwan has changed considerably since the days of the first term of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) of the Democratic
RSS