President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said the reason why he demanded the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) change its party emblem is to to break the myth of a one-party state and to carry out the goal of leading Taiwan to become a normal democratic country.
"In the past, the KMT's emblem has mingled with the national emblem in many aspects, which was a result of the KMT acting as it saw fit. Yet it did not mean it was a right thing," Chen said during the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) weekly Central Standing Committee meeting.
"Likewise, I believe that the people of Taiwan wouldn't accept it if the DPP adopted its party emblem as a new national emblem either," Chen said.
Chen also said the former KMT government intentionally used its party emblem when it designed the national emblem so that it could establish a one-party state.
"Those who insist that it is OK to mix the KMT's emblem with the national emblem simply show that they are still haunted with the mindset of favoring a one-party state," Chen said.
"Such a mindset is also the biggest obstacle ... to Taiwan's democratization," he said.
Because the KMT thought the party and the state were one and the same, it had no problem with seizing the nation's assets without giving compensation for the land it acquired. This sort of behavior led the KMT down the road of "black gold" politics, Chen said.
Chen said the KMT seized control of the military, governmental organizations and schools and replaced civic education with party education under the concept of a one-party state, all of which had confused the people of Taiwan about their national identity.
"People cannot help but be angered by what the KMT did to the country during its 50-year rule," he said.
"Fortunately, only a handful of people still indulge in the KMT's kind of obsolete and reactionary thinking," he said. "We would like to declare that the era of one-party rule should come to an end and the DPP will never make the same mistakes the KMT did."
"All political parties are equal before the nation's laws and we will carry out the goal of separating the party from the state, helping Taiwan become a normal and democratic country," he said.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
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President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
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