Trainwreck

My initial reactions to the rocky attempt to rename Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall in Taipei.  But first, a little background:

Earlier this year, Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian decided to rename the Chiang memorial, on the grounds that it was inappropriate for the capital of a democracy to host giant monuments to former dictators.  Because the legislature is dominated by Chinese nationalists who revere Chiang, Chen undertook the re-dedication via an administrative procedure.

After denouncing Chen for his ingenuity, Chinese nationalists in the legislature insisted that the change could only be made by an act of THEIR branch of government.  Since the opposition possesses a legislative majority, they essentially believed they had a veto over the plan.

Not to be outdone, the Taipei local government (again, a body dominated by Chinese nationalists) got into the act.  Invoking an administrative procedure of his own, Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin, son of one of Chiang’s generals, designated the hall as a temporary historical site.  In doing so, he put the local government on a collision course with the national executive branch, because such sites cannot be legally altered.*

(Why?  Well, it’s kinda hard to rename a structure if you can’t take down the old nameplate.  Or screw the new nameplate anywhere onto the walls!)

Faced with this fly-in-the-ointment, the Chen administration decided to square the circle, by covering up the old "Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall" nameplate with scaffolding.  Large canvas banners proclaiming "Democracy Memorial Hall" were hung from the outside walls.  Finally, a new nameplate was unveiled in the gardens, in such a way that the structure was unmolested.

What a coincidence that Sunday’s Taipei Times featured a picture of an elderly protester who busied himself shouting that the president had no, uh, gonads.  Because my reaction was that maybe that old coot had a point there.

I mean, if President Chen didn’t think the name change would pass legal muster, he shouldn’t have bothered with the whole endeavor.  The law’s the law, even if you’re president and you don’t happen to like it.  On the other hand, if Chen DID think the courts would rule in his favor, he should have insisted the old nameplate be removed.  None of these phony-baloney half measures, with banners and scaffolding.  To HECK with the local government.  Tear down the old stone engraving, and put up the new plaque.

Yes, yes, City Hall said that anyone doing that would be arrested.  But if you TRULY believe the courts will vindicate your actions, then you also have to believe that the workmen will ultimately be released.  And that somebody in City Hall will in turn have to answer charges of false imprisonment of the workmen.  Workmen who were, after all, only doing their job.

As it was, Chen’s wishy-washiness mollified no one.  Those banners?  City Hall said the NAILS used to hang ’em up damaged the "historical site".  The scaffolding?  Changed the site’s appearance.  Grievous breaches of the law, meriting fines, said the city of Taipei. 

(Not content with that, local authorities had the banners and scaffolding torn down a few days later, anyways.)

I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks Chen comes out looking weak here – a bit like a certain duke from an old nursery rhyme:

The Grand Old Duke of York
He had 10,000 men
He marched them up the hill
And he marched them down again…

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* Actually, I’m sure they CAN be altered, but only with permission from the local government.  Permission which Taipei City Hall would be loath to grant.