Attempts to rename roads named “Jhongjheng” (中正) would have to follow regulations around transitional justice and a 2023 Legislative Yuan resolution, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today.
The ministry has researched renaming roads named Jhongjheng (also known as Zhongzheng in Hanyu pinyin) as well as drafted potential policy proposals, Liu said.
“Jhongjheng” is the adopted name of former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石).
Photo: Wang Jung-hsiang, Taipei Times
The proposal has led to criticism from opposition parties, which say the government is claiming to have no money, but has the funds to subsidize renaming streets.
The subsidy for renaming cases or moving statues is capped at NT$100,000, Liu said, adding that neither the central nor local governments should view transitional justice through the lens of money.
The ministry has handled renaming cases in accordance with the Act on Promoting Transitional Justice (促進轉型正義條例) and a 2023 Legislative Yuan resolution requiring the ministry to consult local governments, Liu said.
When there are disagreements or issues in promoting transitional justice, experts and academics suggest that it should be handled “from the bottom up” with a focus on local autonomy, Liu said.
This is how the ministry handles any issues, she added.
As for the budget, each case the ministry handled in the last two or three years was capped at NT$100,000, Liu said.
Hundreds of cases have been subsidized under the current policy, Liu added.
Transitional justice is a human rights issue and must be taken seriously, she said.
The government cannot pretend to only look at transitional justice when there is money to do so, as that attitude does not reflect Taiwan’s democracy and rule of law, Liu said.
As for whether “Jingguo” (經國) roads, named after Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), would be renamed, Liu said that while the law allows for them to be renamed, it can only proceed when there is consensus between the central government, local officials and residents.
Taiwan’s values of freedom, democracy and rule of law require that procedural justice be respected when promoting transitional justice, Liu added.
A 2021 survey conducted by the ministry found 316 roads named “Jhongjheng” and 11 named “Jingguo.”
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