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Lawrence  Chung

Taiwan marked the 20th anniversary of the removal of martial law yesterday as the ruling and opposition parties attacked each other ahead of legislative and presidential elections.

Addressing the opening ceremony of a photo exhibition observing the event, President Chen Shui-bian, of the ruling independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, criticised the Kuomintang  for suppressing the pro-democracy movement on the island when it came to power in 1949.

'The [KMT's] Presidential Office was once the highest institution in suppressing democracy during the martial law period,' he said.

Pointing at one of the 100 photos on display, Mr Chen said the KMT members should visit the exhibition to see what their party had done.

The photos, all in black and white, show how the KMT persecuted political dissidents and banned religious freedom.

One picture shows a group of New Testament Church members unfurling a white banner in front of the Presidential Office reading 'Chiang Ching-kuo is a tyrant. KMT is a totalitarian party. The tyrant will die, and the dictatorial party will fall.'

Chiang, who succeeded his father, Chiang Kai-shek, as the island's leader in 1975, gave the order to remove martial law on July 15, 1987, six months before he died.

In another photo exhibition, at the Taiwan Democracy Hall, previously known as Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung said July 15  was a proud day  for Taiwanese.

He said  38 years of martial law had  brought bloodshed and tears to many Taiwanese families.

He said the KMT government did not take the initiative to lift martial law, echoing a recent comment by  Mr Chen that Chiang was forced to lift  martial law because of pressure from pro-democracy activists.

'Instead, [the KMT] made every effort to suppress the pro-democracy movement aimed at forcing it to remove the martial law,' he said.

Mr Chang said imposing martial law was a historic blunder that  'can be pardoned but cannot be forgotten'.

Striking back, the KMT lashed out at the Chen government, saying it was trying to use the occasion for  political gain.

Legislative elections are set for January, and the presidential poll is scheduled for March.

'Every time there is an election, Chen Shui-bian and his government  use all kinds of occasions to try to sway voters,' KMT secretary-general Wu Den-yih said. 'This time, they are using the late president Chiang and even trying to claim credit for the lifting of martial law.'

KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou said Mr Chen continued to focus on the KMT's history while   not correcting the mistakes of his own government.

'What Taiwanese people are concerned about is the economic issue,' he said.

'The DPP, which has been the government since 2000, should tell the public what it has achieved in the past seven years rather than reviewing martial law and its impact 20 years ago.'

Former president Lee Teng-hui, who quit the KMT soon after he retired as the island's leader in 2000, praised  Chiang for  lifting martial law two decades ago.

He called the decision 'courageous and resolute', saying it paved the way for the democratisation of Taiwan.



New fighting welcomes Taiwan's celebration of martial law's repeal