Transitions of power, transitional justiceBy Arthur Chang 張崇廉Taiwan is amid a wave of rediscovering its own democratic history. It has been decades since Taiwan’s democratic transition; we have seen several transitions of power in the government, and a Transitional Justice Commission was established to rectify injustices of the martial law period. After a democratic transition, the telling of history — especially the history of authoritarian politics — should be free from concealment. Yet in Taiwan, the very KMT that held power during authoritarian rule has never truly shown humility toward the people over the pain caused throughout this period. With this wave of rediscovery and education on Taiwan’s history of democratic transition, more and more young people are coming to understand the nation’s past under authoritarian rule.

Source: Taipei Times March 14, 2026 18:10 UTC