President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of February 20 attended the reopening of the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum and visited the new permanent exhibition in the facility. Besides witnessing the re-inauguration of the museum as well as the display of new historical data and interactive technology, the president reiterated that we must remember the lessons of history and not allow historical tragedies to be repeated.
In remarks at the ceremony, the president applauded the museum, which first opened 14 years ago, for holding all types of exhibits over the years, making the museum the leader of its kind in Taiwan. The president also mentioned that the first time he visited the museum he saw displays that portrayed him in a negative light. He said that he was not bothered by the critique and has never sought to have the words removed. President Ma expressed his belief that commemorating the 228 Incident of 1947 on the one hand involves facing the past, while on the other hand works to avoid mistakes from happening again. The most important factor, he said, in being able to achieve this objective is to have a free and democratic society, in which all points of view can be expressed.
The president said that events similar to the 228 Incident have taken place in other nations. For instance, he pointed to the holocaust that occurred during World War II and how Germans after the war decided to face their country's past head on. President Ma noted that a new German word was created for this, Vergangenheitsbewältigung, which means to face the past, admit errors, reflect on the events, and ultimately mark an end to the historical event. Germany, he said, chosed to bring to light all events from the past, which enabled the younger generation to understand that period in history. The effort subsequently successfully changed the view of people around the world towards Germany, he said.
President Ma stressed that the government here has opted to face our past in handling the 228 Incident. The president said that this involves admitting mistakes, apologizing, establishing memorials, introducing legislation, and making a national holiday. These measures are aimed at gradually healing the wounds and hurt of those who suffered, and also with the hope of preventing a repeat of a similar incident in the future. The president said he feels that historical events should be looked at in a matter of fact manner, and that people must show empathy to the victim’s families. He said he hopes that the public at large will embrace this type of attitude and respect and be tolerant of differing voices, enabling the truth of history to come to the forefront. President Ma reiterated that while the mistakes of the past might be forgiven, the facts of history cannot be forgotten. Only by remembering these lessons can the tragedies of history be prevented from recurring, he said.
The president remarked that the 228 Incident was a catalyst in sparking the process of democratization of Taiwan. The reopening of the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum, he said, features new exhibits that offer interactive means to display history. In addition, the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum has also signed a memorandum of cooperation with the National 228 Memorial Museum to share resources and work together in planning. This will enable the Taipei museum to be a space for displays and collections, while the national museum will focus on special exhibitions and mourning the incident.
After completing his remarks, the president was accompanied by Taipei Deputy Mayor Allen Chiu, Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Hsiao-yun Hsieh, and Taipei 228 Memorial Museum Director Hsieh Ying-chung to cut the ribbon to mark the reopening of the facility and then on a tour of the museum.