United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

 

December 20, 2018

Translation of an Excerpt

 

"11/24 Dong Chang" was one of the hot slogans during the electoral campaigns last month, reflecting the people’s distain toward the Transformational Justice Commission (TJC). However, under the circumstances that the posts of chairman, vice chairman and secretary-general have been left vacant, Yang Tsui, acting chairwoman of the TJC, continued to make moves, proposing in the Parliament three advocacies, i.e., redesigning the New Taiwan dollar, both bank notes and coins, removing Chiang Kai-shek statues from military bases and barracks, and withdrawing the honor guard from the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, quite aggressive indeed.

 

The posts of chairman and vice chairman have been vacant for quite some time; the Cabinet is dragging its feet in filling the vacancies. Could it be the Cabinet knew itself that this self-styled "Dong Chang"-like agency had no way to be resuscitated, thus letting itself gradually wither till its demise? However, the operations of the TJC at present are not so. Despite being without leadership, the other members of the commission and the young turks, however, are readying their arms, poised to fight with moves even more brazen and audacious. On this point, it would be understood at one glance that if we view what Yang Tsui had used "the rapid increase in claw toy machines justifies minting more coins" as grounds to demand that NT dollars, both bank notes and coins, be redesigned to “de-Chiang Kai-shek" for transformational justice. Exit the TJC headed by Chang Tien-chin, who aimed at fierce struggling, the TJC, however, seems to have climbed one floor up, upgrading itself to an à la "Boxers," making loud voices openly; this is indeed worrisome. 

 

On the surface, President Tsai and the DPP are not approving current moves of the TJC, but in reality, have no way of constraining the TJC’s moves. Seeking the roots of the issue, TJC members have such temerity in "wielding the weapon in the name of the powers-that-be," the main problem lies in the fact that it was so frenetic and cavalier to enact the Statute at that time. The Statute not only has ignored the historical development and reality of the Republic of China, but also has exceeded jurisprudence in enacting many provisions that go beyond the Constitution, copying at will the concept of transformational justice in Germany to our country, so much so now once being implemented, the law tramples on right and wrong, stirring up popular grievances.

 

Today, the TJC has morphed into the “Dong Chang" and the “Boxers” all because of this "Statute Governing the Promotion of Transitional Justice" with cerebral hemorrhaging. If the TJC is not abolished, then the Statute must first be revised.

 

[Editor’s note: 1) Dong Chang is a Ming Dynasty secret police organization equivalent to the modern-day Gestapo.

2) Toward the end of the Manchu Dynasty, China, was the target of invasion and even partition by imperial powers. The Empress Dowager, who as regent was the real power behind the throne, mistakenly believing that the so-called Boxers were indeed invincible and could defeat the enemies with swords and spears, ordered them to attack the legations of the imperialist powers in Beijing. A coalition army of eight imperial powers (Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) launched another invasion, forcing the Manchu Dynasty, China, to sign another unequal treaty (The Boxer Protocol of 1901), compelling China to pay an enormous sum of war reparations. (450 million taels of fine silver, around 18,000 tonnes, worth approx. US$333 million or £67 million at the exchange rates of the time, to be paid as indemnity over a course of 39 years to the eight nations involved.) The whole incident is described by historians as the Boxer Rebellion.