Letter to Editor

Hi everyone, this is my letter to editor.i've seen my
paper posted on the mail (and re-send one again to
aiden on 5/31), but i can't see that from e-zine. So
now i tried to post it again.

Dear Editor,
I would like to express my opinion on the recent
disputes on rectification, and thank you for your
time.

Name: Trisha, Ying-ting Hsiao
Address: 12F-2, No.9, Da-fu St., San-min District,
Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Mobile: 0928733392
E-mail: kalumi_155@yahoo.com.tw

Actions speak louder than words
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Recently, in the heart of many name rectification lies
the usage of language and the hunt for cultural
identity. Harboring the hope for clear distinction
from China, the government promotes a series of
rectification campaigns to abate the bond with China.
Thus, Chiang Kai-shek International Airport became
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport; Central Bank of
China altered into Central Bank of the Republic of
China (Taiwan); Chinese Petroleum Corporation was
added Taiwan afterwards, and recently, Chiang Kai-shek
Memorial Hall has turned into National Taiwan
Democracy Memorial Hall. Everything is "Taiwanized."
However, the modification of the names does not unite
the bipolar national identities and somehow increase
the confusion among the citizens of Taiwan and the
foreign tourists.
According to Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, language shapes
one's culture and identity. The rectification voices
Taiwanese identity worldwide but is it the pursuit of
national recognition or simply a political strategy?
It is becoming clearer to Taiwanese when KMT converted
Ketagalan Boulevard into Anti-corruption Boulevard.
This contention with language results in another
combat between pan-blue and pan-green.
Instead of amalgamating solidarity via identity
labels, the government should endeavor to useful and
practical language policies to protect the minority
languages and to form a unique and solid cultural
pride among Taiwanese.

____________________________________________________________________________________
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Wait a minute! I always know I am Taiwanese!!

Wait a minute!I always know I am Taiwanese!!
Submitted by Cassidy

As a post-colonial country, Taiwan has always been struggling in searching for its own identity. Especially when the DPP(I��(Bthe so-called "real Taiwanese" representatives(I��(Bwon the election, they claimed that their first aim was to make Taiwan become an independent country. This, therefore, became a great expectation for their constituents, even until now, after 7 years of the "Bien government". In order to reach this goal, they asserted that rectification of names is inevitable, for fearing of being treated as an affiliated nation and furthermore, for wiping out the dictator's cult of personality, who had retrieved from China in 1949.

However, there is a myth here. Does the government now suggest that "Taiwan is not an independent country?" In the past, people know that there was a group of people who retreated from China in the hot war time. And the leader of this group then became the leader of Taiwan and then established ROC government in this place. However, Taiwanese identity, because of the claims and the rectification of names, suddenly becomes a real blur. Seeing the Chiang Kai-shek statues being torn down and cut in pieces and the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall being changed in order to not to "memorize" him, as a country urging for democratic independence, especially in this modern time when other countries are putting their efforts in protecting their cultural legacy even including China, we are actually going to an opposite way. If one is cultivated enough, he would immediately notice that we are in fact going through another "Cultural Revolution", fortunately, in a less bloody way, or unfortunately, in a more insidious way. Is it really possible to root our identity by destroying the other culture, or rather, our history? In other words, without the history of being one part of China and the culture derived from it, can we really find our identity? These are indeed, considerable questions needed to think about before pursuing further action.