Published: January 24, 2008
As the grandson of Taiwan's former President Chiang Kai-shek, I have been wondering why my grandfather instituted such open policies as allowing ordinary people to visit their relatives in mainland China, terminating martial law and lifting bans on political parties and media. If he was truly an authoritarian dictator, why did he abandon that role in the final moment and take measures that directly or indirectly contributed to today's democratic system in Taiwan?
Looking back to the last century, we recall several famous dictators in various corners of the world. They include Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in Iran, Anastasio Somoza in Nicaragua, Augusto Pinochet in Chile, Juan Manuel de Rosas in Argentina, Park Chung-Hee in South Korea, Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines and Suharto in Indonesia.
Nowadays, Taiwan has embarked on an era of democracy; economically, it has also become a developed country. Taiwan has been the most successful in political and economic development among the formerly autocratic nations. Taiwan can be proud of this, and sets an example for the Third World.
Looking at such achievements today, as a descendent of Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo, I must in all fairness ask the question: Have the two President Chiangs done nothing to contribute to Taiwan's great achievements?
The two Chiangs were just ordinary human beings, not gods. Since they were human, how is it possible that they would never make mistakes? It is not necessary to lift them high and praise them with epithets like the "greatest man of all time" or "savior of the people."
On the other hand, as their offspring, I earnestly request those who were hurt during the Chiangs' rule to stop unleashing their resentment by using such terms as "autocratic killers" and "devils" to describe my ancestors.
As long as people keep worshipping the two Chiangs, it will continue to hurt the feelings of those who suffered under their dictatorship. By contrast, if people keep lashing out at the two Chiangs, it will pain those who were their loyal followers and also their offspring. We have to face the fact that these two conflicting views exist as a result of our history.
Unfortunately, both the blue and green camps have adopted the strategy of "recalling history" in their election campaigns in recent years. Both have blurred the distinction between right and wrong. They have distorted the legacy of the two Chiangs and diluted the value of the name Chiang as a political totem. This approach serves no good purpose; it will merely pass resentment on to the next generation.
The political parties have manipulated the people to serve their own interests, rather than encouraging open and rational debate on the mistakes of the past. They have cast dark shadows from the past into the minds of the voters, as if they are haunted by evil powers. Untruths can never become truths, but painting them as such is confusing for the good people of this land.
I would like to reiterate that evaluating the merits of the two Chiangs is a task best left to history, and should be tackled with an objective, disinterested, impartial and academic approach.
Now the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall has been renamed the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall. It has been redecorated and reopened. It is therefore time to leave behind the outdated, emotional, 20th century issue of labeling the two Chiangs either gods or devils. Let us wish Taiwan a future where such hatred and conflict no longer exist.
I dream of a day when Taiwan's elections will no longer include candidates who revile one another and play on people's fears, when candidates will address the real issues and explain their positions on the economy, foreign affairs, national defense, cutting government expenditures and improving social welfare. This will allow the people to truly become owners of their country, to choose the good and select the capable for public posts.
I dream that this period of confusion, of reviling and accusing one another, will be no more than a brief, temporary but unavoidable process on the way toward a mature democracy.
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(Demos Chiang is chairman of DEM Inc., an advertising design studio in Taiwan, which he founded after returning from the United States where he graduated from New York University. He is noted as the first member of Chiang Kai-Shek's family to apologize for the wrongdoings of the KMT government under the two Chiangs' leadership. He began a personal blog in January 2008 to explain his views. This article is edited and translated from the Chinese by UPI Asia Online; the original can be found at www.ncn.org and www.yubou.tw . ©Copyright Demos Chiang.)
http://www.upiasiaonline.com/Politics/2008/01/24/the_burden_of_the_chiang_legacy_2/7171/
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