Taipei Times
Date: Oct 16, 2016
By: Chen Yu-fu / Staff Reporter

Civic groups yesterday said that the national holidays retained in the rest of the year as a result of the stalled passage of amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) — which would scrap the seven national holidays while keeping the 40-hour workweek — are all either irrelevant to Taiwanese or commemorate autocrats.

Retrocession Day observed on Oct. 25, Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) birthday on Oct. 31, Sun Yat-sen’s (孫中山) birthday on Nov. 12 and Constitution Day on Dec. 25 are the four national holidays that are to be kept in the rest of the year as the amendments have not cleared the legislature.

“These are inappropriate holidays that should not be observed,” Taiwan Society chairman Chang Yeh-sen (張葉森) said, adding that that it is “weird” for a democratic society to commemorate autocrats, which is tantamount to lauding authoritarianism.

“National holidays should commemorate historical moments that are crucial to Taiwan,” he added.     [FULL  STORY]