The Taiwan Statebuilding Party is to hold a memorial concert to mark the legacies of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe at the Kaohsiung City Music Hall on Friday at 7pm.
“Taiwanese and Japanese will always remember these two great statesmen who have left us. For all of us, it is like losing an elder family member,” party Chairman Chen Yi-chi (陳奕齊) said yesterday as he announced the event.
The concert is to feature soprano Wu Chia-fen (吳佳芬) of the Vlaamse Opera in Belgium and a piano recital by Hsu Wei-en (徐惟恩), an assistant professor at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
Photo: Chiang Ying-ying, AP
Tickets for the concert, themed “Their long-lasting will to safeguard democracy,” are free and can be obtained at the party’s office in Kaohsiung daily from 10am to 6pm, with a limit of two tickets per person, Chen said.
Taiwanese would like to commemorate Lee, “the father of Taiwan’s democracy,” along with his friend Abe, whose sudden death shocked the nation, Chen said.
“Under Lee’s leadership, Taiwan became a democracy and Taiwanese became confident calling the nation by its proper name,” he said.
“We have faced international isolation over many years,” Chen said. “Under Lee’s leadership, we stood up to China’s hegemony and military intimidation. We had no fear and did not back down. Lee facilitated the rebirth of Taiwanese identity, laying the foundation for our nation, but this goal is not yet fully realized.”
“With noble principles and strong determination, Lee had far-reaching influence, including in Japan. Abe and Lee had known each other for several decades, and they encouraged and inspired each other,” he said.
“Abe carried on Lee’s love for Taiwan. Abe pushed for Japan to become a recognized nation, while also advocating for permanent peace in East Asia. Taiwan has benefited from his vision and can play an important role in the regional peace framework,” Chen said.
“Now Taiwan and Japan have strong, friendly ties,” he said. “The two countries are part of a democratic alliance to counter China’s rising hegemony.”
“Therefore the Taiwan Statebuilding Party invites the public to join the concert in Kaohsiung, to consolidate the mutual friendship between Taiwan and Japan. We want to pay tribute and remember Lee’s and Abe’s legacies, as well as the contributions and sacrifices of other democracy pioneers,” Chen said.
“We shall carry on their unfinished work. The burden of history pushes us ahead on this path,” he added.
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