Earlier this week, John Chiang, an illegitimate descendant of former Taiwanese dictator Chiang Kai-shek, launched a lawsuit over the dismantling of his grand-dad’s statue by the city of Kaohsiung:
"I can’t bear to see the statue of the late president being disassembled. I demand Mayor Chen publish an apology in the islands three main Chinese-language newspapers and pay a symbolic NT$1 in compensation [for] the city’s rude behavior…"
"I shed tears when I saw on the TV that it (the city government) disassembled the [Chiang Kai-shek] statue into more than 200 parts * …"
The fact is that while John Chiang shed tears, others cheered. I know of no moral calculus that says John Chiang’s displeasure must weigh more heavily than the approval of others.
There is, I believe, only one instrument with which the conflict between Chiang supporters and critics can be resolved: Democracy. This is where Taiwan’s China Post gets their "Cultural Revolution" analogy all wrong. Unlike Mao’s China, Taiwanese mobs are not roaming the streets smashing Chiang statues.** Instead, the people of Taiwan chose known anti-Chiang politicians to be their leaders, and those politicians are enacting that part of their program. When pro-Chiang politicians are elected to executive positions, I will take that as evidence that the Taiwanese wish Chiang to remain in his place of honor.
Some might object that anti-Chiang politicians were elected for other reasons, pointing to poll numbers to support that claim. Fair point, though I notice that Chiang defenders are not quite so confident about their numbers as to call for a democratic referendum on the issue. Guess it’s easier to bluster about Chiang’s "solid support" in Taiwanese society than it is to risk a humiliating loss at the polls on the question.
* While it was initially reported that the Chiang Kai-shek statue in Kaohsiung was broken into 200 pieces, the correct number was quickly established to be 79. For emotive purposes, John Chiang continues to use the inflated figure.
** There was however, one troubling case of arson directed against one of Chiang Kai-shek’s holiday villas recently, and it’s my hope that the perpetrator will be found and punished harshly. De-Chiangification must take place under the rule of law and under democratic auspices, not according to the whims of individuals with butane lighters.
UPDATE (Apr 21/07): The difference between John Chiang and Cho Seung-Hui’s grandfather could not be starker:
John Chiang: "I shed tears when I saw on the TV that [the city government]
disassembled [my grandfather’s] statue into more than 200 parts."Cho Seung-Hui’s grandfather: "Son of a bitch. It serves [my grandson] right he died…"