Civil society groups on Tuesday called for the removal of the Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) statue from the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei in what they called a key move to promote transitional justice in Taiwan.
More than 400 human rights and other civil society groups signed a petition for the removal of the 6.3m-tall bronze statue in the main chamber of the memorial hall building, Chou Wan-yao (周婉窈), a history professor at National Taiwan University, told a news conference.
The petition seeks to show support for a plan revealed by the Transitional Justice Commission in September to remove “symbols of authoritarianism” from the hall, Chou said.
Photo: CNA
The plan aims to turn the site into a public park with “reflections on Taiwan’s authoritarian history” as its main theme.
To achieve that goal, the statue of Chiang is to be removed and renovations are to be made to eliminate authoritarian elements from the design of the hall, the plan says.
The commission said at the time that a more detailed proposal, including an amendment to the Organization Act of National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Management Office (國立中正紀念堂管理處組織法), would be submitted to the Cabinet in May next year.
At the news conference, Chou said Chiang ordered the execution of 259 political prisoners who had originally been handed jail terms following military trials during the White Terror era, citing a commission report released in February.
She said that the issue regarding the removal of the statue, which remains the biggest authoritarian statue in Taiwan, must be addressed to achieve the goal of transitional justice, and consolidate human rights and the rule of law in the nation.
The groups also called for the changing of the guard ceremony, which takes place on a regular basis in the main chamber, to be scrapped or moved outside the main building, so it no longer reflects the act of “worshiping” Chiang.
Cherry Ho (何語蓉), secretary-general of the Taiwan Obasan Political Equality Party, comprised mostly of mothers, said that in a democratic society, no politician or political leader should be worshiped like a hero.
Removing objects that carry authoritarian imagery is key to bolstering democracy, Ho said, adding that “how history is documented and presented to our children reflects the values we believe in.”
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