A large portrait of Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) hanging in the main legislative chamber should be removed, along with bringing an end to an oath to Sun that takes place in front of the image during swearing-in ceremonies, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘) said on Monday.
Such symbols are a form of “personality cult worship” and have no place in the legislature, he added.
A letter of request has been sent to Legislative Yuan Secretary-General Lin Jih-jia (林志嘉) to have the portrait sold by an auction house such as Sotheby’s after its value is assessed, Tsai said.
Photo: CNA
“Portraits as symbols of authoritarianism are seldom on display in the parliaments of democratic countries, as they are places of dignity and solemn proceedings,” he said.
Sun’s portrait was damaged on May 30 when Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members threw containers of water during a contentious legislative session, with one piercing the portrait. The incident occurred as the DPP was attempting to approve amendments to the Accounting Act (會計法) that were seen to benefit former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) by possibly exonerating him of 11-year-old corruption charges.
“Sun as the founder of the KMT headed the party as the first Republic of China president,” Tsai said. “Our legislature is not a place for personality cult worship.”
“These KMT devotees attacked lawmakers during the legislative session and damaged the portrait of their divine icon. This desecration by the party’s worshipers against their highest deity would probably increase the value of the portrait,” he said.
After his death in 1925, KMT leaders often had people show deference to Sun in official ceremonies, and mandated that his portrait hang in schools and government offices.
Lin’s office replied to the letter of request, saying that the legislature plans to ask the KMT to pay compensation for damage and repair costs, and that the Ministry of Culture would consult with art experts to assess restoration options, Tsai said.
The office’s reply also said that all parties in the legislature would need to agree to the portrait’s sale, if that were to be proposed, he added.
Officials said provisions of the National Emblem and National Flag of the ROC Act (中華民國國徽國旗法) mandate that the national flag and Sun’s portrait be displayed front-and-center of the main chambers of government offices.
DPP legislators including Fan Yun (范雲) in 2020 proposed amendments to the Presidential and Vice Presidential Oath Act (總統副總統宣誓條例) and the Oath Act (宣誓條例) to remove portraits of Sun from government offices.
After the May 30 incident, Fan wrote on social media: “Taiwanese democracy need no longer bow and pledge oath to this symbol of authoritarianism... We call on KMT members to support amendments for a more democratic procedure on the swearing-in ceremonies for lawmakers and civil servants.”
DPP Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said: “Members of the public have different ideas about Sun Yat-sen, which are varied and complicated just like the different identities and political affiliations among Taiwanese.”
“Around the world we find very few countries display images of deceased leaders, at least not in such a prominent place such as the legislative chamber,” he said. “No nation is founded and built by one person. Now that even KMT lawmakers are not concerned about damaging this portrait, it is the right time to take it down.”
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
A crowd of over 200 people gathered outside the Taipei District Court as two sisters indicted for abusing a 1-year-old boy to death attended a preliminary hearing in the case yesterday afternoon. The crowd held up signs and chanted slogans calling for aggravated penalties in child abuse cases and asking for no bail and “capital punishment.” They also held white flowers in memory of the boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), who was allegedly tortured to death by the sisters in December 2023. The boy died four months after being placed in full-time foster care with the
A Taiwanese woman on Sunday was injured by a small piece of masonry that fell from the dome of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican during a visit to the church. The tourist, identified as Hsu Yun-chen (許芸禎), was struck on the forehead while she and her tour group were near Michelangelo’s sculpture Pieta. Hsu was rushed to a hospital, the group’s guide to the church, Fu Jing, said yesterday. Hsu was found not to have serious injuries and was able to continue her tour as scheduled, Fu added. Mathew Lee (李世明), Taiwan’s recently retired ambassador to the Holy See, said he met
The Shanlan Express (山嵐號), or “Mountain Mist Express,” is scheduled to launch on April 19 as part of the centennial celebration of the inauguration of the Taitung Line. The tourism express train was renovated from the Taiwan Railway Corp’s EMU500 commuter trains. It has four carriages and a seating capacity of 60 passengers. Lion Travel is arranging railway tours for the express service. Several news outlets were invited to experience the pilot tour on the new express train service, which is to operate between Hualien Railway Station and Chihshang (池上) Railway Station in Taitung County. It would also be the first tourism service
RSS