‘His legacy ought to be studied and analyzed, if only to remember the horrors and agonies of the history of this island nation, and to educate ourselves on the importance of avoiding a backslide into totalitarianism.’
The News Lens
Date: 2017/05/10
By: Jenna Cody
In the past week, two opinion pieces have appeared in The News Lens tackling the
REUTERS/Richard Chung
question of what to do about the troubled legacy of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) in Taiwan.
There is one issue which must be immediately clarified: nobody is suggesting that Chiang be completely deleted from Taiwan’s history.
His legacy ought to be studied and analyzed, if only to remember the horrors and agonies of the history of this island nation, and to educate ourselves on the importance of avoiding a backslide into totalitarianism. I do not believe anyone has suggested that he be deleted from history textbooks, nor would it be wise to do so.
However, it is absolutely correct to remove Chiang’s statues and his place in a “memorial hall” “(Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, in Taipei) which would be best repurposed for more appropriate uses: a vibrant, modern democracy does not need a moribund reminder of the former dictator’s bloody legacy and continued cult of personality among some, in what could otherwise be a public space welcoming to all.
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