Beijing sees legislation to remove all tributes to former leader Chiang Kai-shek as a political move paving the way to independence, but there are good reasons Taiwan may want to move on from the former dictator’s legacy

South China Morning Post
Date: 16 DEC 2017
By: Cary Huang

A recent Taiwanese legislative motion to remove all tributes to Chiang Kai-shek, the former

Mao Zedong, left, and Chiang Kai-shek in Chongqing in 1945. Photo: Handout In ancient Chinese dynasties it was standard practice for new rulers to destroy all symbols of their predecessors to ensure their legacies did not endure.

Kuomintang leader and dictator, is not merely a continuation of this practice – it is a significant advancement in the philosophy of rule.

The transitional justice bill, passed by the island’s legislature on December 5, requires the removal of all symbols related to the former strongman leader, as well as the renaming of streets and schools named in his honour. It also calls for a full investigation into Chiang’s rule and the political purges of his opponents between 1947 and his death in 1975 – a period known as the “White Terror”, when at least 140,000 people were imprisoned or executed.    [FULL  STORY]