20100801 Ignorance of history

Ignorance of history

Sunday, Aug 01, 2010, Page 8

In your article “Ma, Hau visit Taipei Bus Station” (July 24, page 3), Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) is reported to have stated: “A Taipei mayoral candidate should deliver his plans to develop the city, rather than talk about tearing down municipal projects.”

This criticism on the part of Hau is directed at his political opponent, the Democratic Progressive Party’s Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), who has vowed to demolish the bicycle lanes on Dunhua N and Dunhua S Road, as well as a bus lane on Zhongxiao E Road.

What surprises and irritates me is that Hau attacks Su for vowing to tear down municipal projects such as the bicycle and bus lane, yet he did nothing to put a stop to his administration’s Department of Cultural Affairs’ demolition of the residence of former Taipei mayor Henry Kao (高玉樹). Kao’s now demolished residence was a Japanese-style wooden structure built in the 1920s.

Structures such as this one are now a rare sight in Taipei. As such, they ought to be preserved and cherished. An irreplaceable historical and cultural asset is now gone forever.

To think that such a cultural and historic asset was demolished to profit private businesses — an act of sacrifice on the altar of Mammon to satisfy mercantile interests — is both depressing and sickening.

History is the collective memory of a society. That is, say that history is to a society what memory is to an individual person. If a person loses his/her memory, then this person is most certainly at a great disadvantage — a disadvantage that is unquantifiable.

The Taipei City Government, which Hau leads, has certainly made self-evident its crass ignorance of cultural and historical assets in the city.

And this is by no means the first time. The Taipei City Government has demolished other historical and cultural infrastructure sites, such as the Shilin suspension bridge and the Beitou railway station.

Moreover, Taipei City’s Department of Cultural Affairs has revealed its favoritism toward Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) political figures and its bias against dangwai members such as Kao.

Last week, during his visit to the Taipei Bus Station with Hau, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) announced: “Municipal developments are like a relay race and each mayor should continue the development left by their predecessors. Each mayor should show a great achievement.”

To continue with Ma’s metaphor, I would venture to say that Hau has “dropped the baton” in this mayoral “relay race.” It is indeed a great pity that Hau seems to be devoid of all appreciation for the achievement of his historical predecessor, Kao. How could demolishing a historical site such as Kao’s residence possibly be Hau’s idea of “continuing the development left by his predecessors?”

It is no wonder that he ranks so low in public opinion. His ignorance and incompetence — as well as his biases and lack of regard for others — are all now on display for the whole nation to see.

Michael Scanlon
East Hartford, Connecticut