The National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall was the subject of heated discussion again in the legislature yesterday as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) slammed a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator for suggesting its original name be restored.
KMT lawmaker Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) a loyalist of KMT president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), suggested the original four characters, dazhong zhizheng be restored to the main arch, replacing the name Liberty Square, which was installed in December.
Wu suggested the Liberty Square characters be placed on a side archway as a way to appease pan-green supporters and to highlight the KMT’s determination to transcend ethnic issues.
The DPP has argued that the square be used to commemorate Taiwan’s democratization rather than glorify a dictator.
The move to physically alter the hall’s exterior was vehemently opposed by the pan-blue camp and its supporters who lambasted the DPP for destroying a historical site for its own political interests.
The controversy died down ahead of the presidential election but has resurfaced as speculation has grown about how the incoming government intends to handle Chiang-related issues.
Ma said recently that the name of the hall would not be a priority for him and no changes will take place until all arguments have been carefully considered.
Wu’s suggestion drew fire from the DPP, who said the ideas were “preposterous” and “insulting.”
“How can he even suggest putting the word “liberty” in the same space where people go to worship a dictator that murdered so many people? There was no such thing as freedom under Chiang’s rule. It would be a total insult to Taiwan’s hard-won democracy,” DPP Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) said.
If the KMT went ahead and tore down the Liberty Square inscription without the consent of the people, she added, it would be acting in the same “brutal” and “barbaric” manner it accused the DPP of when the original inscription was dismantled in December.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
RSS