Former military leaders denounced a proposal by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) to modify the Republic of China Military Academy anthem, saying that the lyrics are a legacy to be preserved.
The pro-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lyrics — “party flags flutter” — should be changed to “national flags flutter” — to make it politically neutral, Liu said on Thursday during a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
Asking which party was referred to by the term “party flags,” Liu said that the lyrics might not be appropriate today as it is a reminder of the KMT’s decades-long party-state regime.
The song, written in 1926, was banned in 2006 during former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) administration, but reinstated in 2008 when the KMT regained power.
Former minister of national defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱) yesterday said that instead of changing the lyrics, the historical background of the anthem should be understood and appreciated.
“History has to be respected. Each era has its own historical context. For example, La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, has a history behind it,” Kao said.
Retired lieutenant general Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷) said on Facebook that the proposal was “narrow-minded and ignorant ideology.”
If the DPP wanted to carry out a “full-scale desinicization,” it should also phase out Chinese languages, tradition and religions that did not originate in Taiwan, Wu said.
“Changes should first be made to your ancestral graves and shrines if you want to change the lyrics of the academy anthem,” he said.
Ministry of the National Defense spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) said the ministry respected different opinions and would conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the issue.
New Power Party caucus convener Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) said Wu’s remark was a product of the KMT’s “brainwashing education,” which blurred the distinction between the nation and the party.
“People who are confused about the distinction between a party and a nation eventually fall into the logic of equating party loyalty with patriotism,” Hsu said.
During legislative reviews of nominees for the Council of Grand Justices, some legislators judged the nominees on their willingness to sing the national anthem, which had been adapted from a KMT song, he said.
The ministry might as well write a new song if it is concerned about copyright issues involved in making changes to the song, Hsu said.
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
STAY VIGILANT: When experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, such as dizziness or fatigue, near a water heater, open windows and doors to ventilate the area Rooftop flue water heaters should only be installed outdoors or in properly ventilated areas to prevent toxic gas from building up, the Yilan County Fire Department said, after a man in Taipei died of carbon monoxide poisoning on Monday last week. The 39-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), an assistant professor at Providence University in Taichung, was at his Taipei home for the holidays when the incident occurred, news reports said. He was taking a shower in the bathroom of a rooftop addition when carbon monoxide — a poisonous byproduct of combustion — leaked from a water heater installed in a poorly ventilated
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