Jonathan Swift wrote in 1726 Lemuel Gulliver found a war between the Big-endians and the Little-endians on the island of Lilliput, the inhabitants of which are six inches tall, everything there being in the proportion of one inch to one foot.They fought over the controversy on the question whether eggs should be broken at the big or small end.It’s ridiculous.But an equally ridiculous tug of war is taking place right before our eyes in Taipei.
Our Little-endians want to dethrone President Chiang Kai-shek posthumously.He died in 1975, and his filial son, President Chiang Ching-kuo, had a special act adopted to build a hall in the heart of Taipei in memory of his father.It was dedicated as the President Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, which has in time become one of the biggest tourist attractions in Taipei.President Chen Shui-bian had it renamed the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall.Chen dedicated the renamed memorial hall himself on May 19.
Big-endians were up in arms.They charged President Chen with renaming the memorial hall against the law.The special act has to be amended to lawfully change its name.Chen’s Democratic Progressive Party dared not submit an amendment proposal to the Legislative Yuan, where the Big-endians have a majority of two.
Their war actually started when the Council of Economic Planning and Development, under orders of Premier Su Tseng-chang, threatened to dismantle the wall surrounding the entire complex in April.To save the wall as well as preclude any possible encroachment on the memorial hall itself, one top Big-endian, Mayor of Taipei Hau Lung-bin, proclaimed the entire compound as a cultural site.As such any change in the complex without his permission violates the cultural site preservation act.
Not to be outdone, the Ministry of Education, which is in charge of running the memorial hall, so downgraded it as to make it unnecessary to have the name change legislated.In the meantime, the ministry asked for timely “repairs” on the site and was given permission on condition that no change whatsoever should be made.Of course, the municipal authorities had to allow the ministry put up a name tablet in the yard to rename the memorial hall.
That tablet was pulled up by a Big-endian mob as soon as it had been set in place.Protesters trampled on it in a show of spite for President Chen who wants nothing better than to dethrone their all but apotheosized Gimo.Hau’s municipal director of cultural affairs threatened to fine the education ministry if it did not take down two giant banners emblazoned with wild lilies hung up on purpose to cover the entire north and south sides of the building to proclaim it as the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall.A scaffold was built to hang a giant canvas to cover the name plaque on the frieze of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.
Taiwan has no giant Gulliver to mediate in the war between our Big-endians and Little-endians.
（本文刊載於96.05.21 China Post第4版，本文代表作者個人意見）