The recent irrational behavior displayed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members protesting the name change of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall was truly appalling. (KMT's name change fight opens rift, May 28, page 2). It was more like a fight among rogue people.
More puzzling, however, was a question posed by KMT Legislator Kuo Su-Chun (郭素春), who said, "Now that we have a memorial to democracy, does that mean democracy is dead, too?" ("KMT supports plan to rename street," May 24, page 4). Kuo apparently has a hard time making the connection between those people who sacrificed their lives for democratic principles and naming a memorial hall to honor them.
However, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin's (郝龍斌) idea of renaming a section of Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building the "Anti-Corruption Democracy Square" was a good idea ("City strikes back in name-change game," May 23, page 1). All the people of Taiwan, not just KMT members, should support the plan.
Hau, however, should recruit a group of artists to paint a large picture on the renamed square depicting corrupt people -- especially KMT members under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) -- looting the national treasury while countless onlookers shout at them to stop looting and return the stolen goods to the people.
Anyone walking on the square will be reminded of the KMT's illegally obtained assets. Perhaps this could hasten the return of the stolen assets to the treasury.
Honesty and democracy are universal values, yet KMT members have proven unable to clean their own house, whether under the leadership of former chairmen Lien Chan (連戰) or Ma Ying-yeou (馬英九) or under Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄). An "Anti-Corruption Monument" to stress the importance of integrity would remind everyone that the KMT itself has shown little integrity.
The Taipei City Government should create an "Anti-Corruption Park" where statues of corrupt people could be erected for visitors to judge or examine their wrongdoings.
It is very difficult to fathom why KMT members often think they have nothing to do with corruption, even when the whole world has known for decades that the KMT was and still is the most corrupt political party in the world.
As US General George Marshall, quoted in Sterling Seagrave's book The Soong Dynasty, once said: "Mao's greatest asset was the Chiang regime's dismal corruption."
Still don't get it? Well read your history, please.
Kris Liao
San Francisco, California
Two weeks ago, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) raised hackles in Taiwan by posting to her 2.6 million Instagram followers that she was visiting “Taipei, China.” Yeoh’s post continues a long-standing trend of Chinese propaganda that spreads disinformation about Taiwan’s political status and geography, aimed at deceiving the world into supporting its illegitimate claims to Taiwan, which is not and has never been part of China. Taiwan must respond to this blatant act of cognitive warfare. Failure to respond merely cedes ground to China to continue its efforts to conquer Taiwan in the global consciousness to justify an invasion. Taiwan’s government
This month’s news that Taiwan ranks as Asia’s happiest place according to this year’s World Happiness Report deserves both celebration and reflection. Moving up from 31st to 27th globally and surpassing Singapore as Asia’s happiness leader is gratifying, but the true significance lies deeper than these statistics. As a society at the crossroads of Eastern tradition and Western influence, Taiwan embodies a distinctive approach to happiness worth examining more closely. The report highlights Taiwan’s exceptional habit of sharing meals — 10.1 shared meals out of 14 weekly opportunities, ranking eighth globally. This practice is not merely about food, but represents something more
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of