Chiang's death signals time for change

The death of Chiang Wego has brought to an end a dynasty that occupied a towering place in Taiwan's history.

His death also carries with it a symbolism that will not be lost on people living on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.

In a strange and somewhat quixotic fashion, Chiang had sought for himself, his father and his half-brother, a posthumous stake in cross-straits relations.

It was during a Kuomintang committee meeting last year that Chiang made it clear he wanted the remains of his father, Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek, and his half-brother, the late president Chiang Ching-kuo, sent to the mainland for burial. He also said he wanted to be buried there.

This wish, which did not win the approval of the ruling Nationalist Party -- now led by Taiwan-born President Lee Teng- hui -- is unlikely to be honored until after the island's reunification with the mainland.

In the meantime, the remains of these three members of the Chiang dynasty will provide a cross-straits link and remind Taiwanese people that they originally came from mainland China.

Beijing has dropped its smear campaign against Chiang Kai-shek in recent years to convince the Taiwanese to reunify with the mainland. Taiwanese authorities have renovated the Chiang family graveyard in recent years as a goodwill gesture.

Still, the link between the Taiwan government and the mainland is not as obvious these days as it was during the lifetimes of Mr. Chiang's father and half-brother.

Taiwan's political leaders no longer come from the mainland. This is a reality that must be accepted by both sides.

It means the time has come to find a new model for reunification rather than just following the dictates of Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong.

-- The Hong Kong Standard