Taipei’s Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall should be transformed into a research center and museum for all of the nation’s presidents, New Power Party (NPP) caucus whip Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) said yesterday, adding that the memorial’s name could be temporarily preserved alongside the statue of former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石).
“Having a memorial dedicated to this one leader isn’t appropriate because we don’t have any other similar memorials. It would be better to start dedicating the site to all former presidents and transition content to remove all traces of the authoritarian tradition of reverence to Chiang Kai-shek,” Hsu said, adding that he had already submitted an amendment to the Organization Act of National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Management Office (國立中正紀念堂管理處組織法), which the legislature’s Procedure Committee is expected to address on Tuesday.
The amendment would expand the memorial’s mandate to include the preservation and exhibition of artifacts from all of the nation’s former presidents, along with research into the nation’s democratization process.
Photo: AP
The hall is charged only with preserving and presenting artifacts related to Chiang, although it is also permitted to hold artistic exhibitions.
“Because the site is conveniently located in Taipei’s city center, for it to be devoted only to Chiang is a waste,” Hsu said, adding that the site could continue to move in the direction of becoming a general exhibition center, while also serving as a depository for the documents of the nation’s past presidents, taking advantage of its location next to the National Central Library.
The imposing memorial complex occupies more than 25 hectares, with a 76m-tall central monument which was the nation’s second-tallest building when it was completed in 1980, falling just short of the Grand Hotel in Taipei.
The Academica Historica’s existing museum for past presidents could be integrated with the memorial hall if the amendment is passed, Hsu added.
He rejected calls to tear down the memorial hall from some past victims of human rights abuses perpetrated under Chiang’s decades-long rule, while adding that transitioning the content could help create consensus for further change.
“Only discussing a name change or whether to keep the memorial would only create pan-blue and pan-green conflict, so we want to focus on content, because there are both pan-blue and pan-green former presidents. We’ve even considered including presidents of the Republic of China before it moved to Taiwan, so the memorial could continue to count as a presentation of Republic of China history,” he said. “As far as I am concerned, as long as our amendment passes, it would even be acceptable for Chiang’s huge bronze statue to remain, because it has an educational function.”
The administration of former Democratic Progressive Party president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) sought to tear down the site’s perimeter marble wall and controversially renamed it “National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall,” only to see the name changed back when former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) came to power in 2008.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by