TAIWAN is to remove statues of Chiang Kai-shek, the late Nationalist leader who ruled the island for 26 years, from military bases.

The move was ordered by President Chen Shui-bian, who has led a vociferous and controversial campaign for full independence from China.

It has angered nationalist politicians in Taiwan and is likely to cause annoyance in Beijing, which decries any attempt to perpetuate the separation of Taiwan and mainland China.

After fleeing the mainland when he lost a civil war to Chairman Mao’s Communist armies, the general never abandoned his dream of a reunified China. His Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang, ruled Taiwan for more than half a century until 2000.

The Taiwanese Defence Ministry said that more than 100 fibreglass statues would be removed because they had been badly damaged after standing in the open for decades, and would be sent to a museum for permanent storage after being refurbished. But John Chiang, the general’s only descendant still active in politics, voiced anger at the decision, saying that it was the latest in a series of steps by President Chen to tarnish the image of the Nationalist Party. He told The Times: “I’m totally against it. I see no justifiable reason for this action.”

He added that the island’s Government needed to exercise great discretion before removing the statues of a man who always dreamt of reclaiming the mainland. “The move is unnecessary and unwise.”

Shuai Hua-min, a Nationalist MP, compared the plan to the chaotic Cultural Revolution in China when thousands of ancient statues and temples were destroyed. The retired lieutenant-general said: “It’s shameless.” Wang Shih-chien, of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, said the statues were symbols of Chiang’s authoritarian rule and must be removed because Taiwan had become a democratic country.

Chiang’s record is mixed. He is seen by many in Taiwan as an authoritarian leader who suppressed calls for democracy and for a formal split from China, which still considers the island a breakaway province. But some view him as a hero for keeping the island out of reach of Beijing and for nurturing a free-wheeling market economy that is now one of the most vibrant and efficient in Asia.

China, which once vilified Chiang, now recognises his role in fighting Japanese invaders during the Second World War, as part of a campaign to bring the Nationalists and Taiwan back into the fold.

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