Not too much to report today on the election front. My delegation met with various American and Taiwanese officials and the expectation of a KMT victory was confirmed by everyone we spoke with. All that seems to be in doubt is the size of the new Blue majority. For the DPP, 38 is the "golden number." Anything less than that gives the KMT a two-thirds majority which would allow them to chanage the constitution. This Economist piece sums things up nicely.
One point that came up today is that the changes in the electoral system (reducing the number of legislators, simplifying voting districts) may have the effect of creating a more moderate politics. With fewer lawmakers, each of whom is more focused on his or her constiuency's needs, a more pragmatic working style may emerge; or in the parlance of Taiwan politics, "deep blues" and "deep greens" (i.e. those more ideologically committed and less likely to compromise) will give way to "ligth blues" and "light greens." We'll see.
While the KMT's political future looks fairly bright (they are likely to win the Presidential election in March), their past continues to be contested. I saw this today when we visited what once was known as the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall but has now been renamed the Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall. It is a massive structure, in the style of a Chinese temple, within which is housed a very large statue of Chiang seated, rather like the Lincoln Memorial. Meant to create a sense of awe and reverence, it is designed to elevate the historical legacy of the Generalissimo. As such, it is a reminder of the authoritarian past, something that sits uncomfortably not only with the DPP, champions of Taiwan's democratic present, but also with the KMT, who are ill at ease with their historical ties to political repression, the worst instance of which was the February 28 incident.
So, when the DPP proposed to rename the Hall, and revise its purpose to celebrate Taiwan's transition to democracy, the KMT did not fight the change to the bitter end. There were efforts to block the move, and a large-scale demonstration against it, but the KMT could have pressed its case further. Their yielding is a sign of the indefensible quality of the authoritarian past.
What has happened, however, is something like performance art. The DPP has filled the main hall with a profusion of colorful kites, meant to symbolize the winds of freedom. They have also erected large billboards with photographs of past demonstrations in the service of democratization.
The overall effect is chaotic and clashing, rather like democracy itself. What once was a nationally sacred space, guarded by soldiers and dominated by the all powerful authoritarian father figure, is now more remeiniscent of a art gallery, splashed with color. Populist handiworks and images surround and submerge and diminish the old patriarch. A contentious and multifaceted present overwhelms a monumentally repressive past. See for yourself:
why don't they just move the stature out?
Posted by: Chris | January 10, 2008 at 08:36 PM