It was that time of year again, a time of wounds unhealed, a time of unhealed wounds reopening.
It was the 68th anniversary of the 228 Incident. It will then be the 69th, the 70th, etc. The count will just keep piling up if the truth stays hidden and no closure is brought about.
No single phrase does more to describe the suffering Taiwanese have endured than the following epigram widely circulated among Taiwanese communities:
“America dropped two atomic bombs in Japan, but one Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) in Taiwan. Which option do you prefer?”
With the wisdom of US General Douglas Macarthur and the collective will of its people, Japan quickly recovered and is now a key US ally in the Western Pacific.
However, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was hesitant accepting an olive branch from President Ma Ying-Jeou (馬英九) in the form of an attempted, but failed, handshake during a memorial ceremony on Feb. 28.
The gulf dividing ethnic Taiwanese and Mainlanders is to this day still perceptible. Plenty of historical legal papers and declassified US documents attest to how the divide came about: Unequivocal resentment of the pain, hurt and injustice Taiwanese sustained at the hands of the brutal Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration.
On one hand, Taiwanese were then too naive to be on guard against an undisciplined, uncivilized Chinese military. On the other hand, the US military, either misguided or for political expedience amid the beginning of the Cold War, ignored Chiang’s corrupt nature. Both sealed Taiwanese fate to a long stretch of authoritarian oppression with bloody consequences. Soon it will be 70 years since the 228 Incident. It is too long to let the wound bleed any longer.
The US must end the unfinished business that has cost Taiwanese uncountable suffering. Taiwanese refuse to live in limbo. Taiwanese are not seeking revenge, but justice. A free and peaceful Taiwan serves the best interests of all countries involved.
On April 3 last year and Feb. 4 this year, rays of hope started flickering. In testimony to the US Congress, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Daniel Russel said: “Strong United States support for Taiwan autonomy also helps give our friends in Taiwan the confidence to strengthen their cross-strait relations.” (www.state.gov/p/eap/rls/rm/2014/04/224350.htm).
He also pledged: “Our continued efforts to help ensure that Taiwan can preserve its autonomy and manage its defense.” (fpc.state.gov/237218.htm).
The US should grant Taiwanese the following: autonomy devoid of the falsehood of Republic of China (ROC); the right to set up an autonomous governing body replacing the existing exiled ROC; the right to occupy the current property of Taiwan Provincial Government in Taichung; and the right to bear passports issued by the new autonomous government.
In addition, the US should also ban the display of the so-called “ROC flag” in Taiwan and anywhere else, because it is a symbol of oppression,
As a victor in World War II and still the legal guardian of Taiwan, the US must work with Taiwanese — who want to be free.
Kengchi Goah is a senior research fellow at the Taiwan Public Policy Council in the US.
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS