Representatives from several groups yesterday gathered in front of the main gate of Taipei’s Liberty Square to mark the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the Wild Lily student movement.
Organizers from the groups, including the National Students’ Union of Taiwan (NSUT), the Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy, the Taiwan Citizen Front and the Economic Democracy Union, carried a banner that read: “Fellow citizens, how can we tolerate the oppression of 700 emperors again?”
The banner is a replica of one held by student demonstrators from National Taiwan University in 1990, NSUT president Tan Ko-him (陳佑維) said.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
“Although at the time martial law had already been lifted in Taiwan, an atmosphere of ‘unfreedom’ still permeated the air,” he said.
The movement’s participants “became a force that pushed the island forward,” he said.
“Today, 30 years later, we mention the Wild Lily [movement] again not just to commemorate history,” he said.
“After breaking free from the oppression of 700 emperors, reform is not yet complete,” the groups said in a statement, which the members read aloud.
They also listed several demands for the lawmakers elected on Jan. 11.
These included a call for the Democratic Progressive Party not to use its legislative majority to “block the discussion of diverse opinions.”
Other parties, on the other hand, should “pursue real changes to the content of bills,” the groups said.
They also demanded a reform of the Legislative Yuan’s electoral system.
The current system “overly protects” the two major political parties, and is “not conducive to the establishment of a pluralistic democratic system,” they said.
Chou Ko-jen (周克任), one of the participants in the Wild Lily movement, said that the atmosphere at Liberty Square today was different from 1990.
“Back then, as soon as we came to this place and reporters arrived, riot police began to prepare,” he said.
Many issues remain unresolved, he said, adding that motivating civil servants at the local level to enforce the law is crucial to Taiwan’s competitiveness.
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