President Chiang Ching-kuo passed away at his official residence at 3:50 p.m., January 13. The President, according to his physician's report, felt discomfort after waking at 7:30 a.m., then experienced mild nausea and vomiting. At 1:55 p.m., he suddenly began vomiting large amounts of blood, which caused shock and his cardiac and respiratory functions to fail. A medical team was immediately summoned to administer cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, but their efforts were in vain. By 3:50, the President's heartbeat had stopped, and he passed away.
The death of the President was announced to a stunned nation and world at a special meeting of the Central Standing Committee of the ruling Kuomintang (Nationalist Party), which convened at 7:30 p.m. In a tearful voice, Premier Yu Kuo-hwa, who presided over the meeting, made the announcement and read the will prepared by the late President only a few days before. In his will, the President extends an earnest exhortation that "the people of the entire country, military and civilian alike, must unite and struggle with the utmost dedication for an early recovery of the mainland, the completion of the great task of reunifying China under the Three Principles of the People."
When the news of the President's passing was announced through the media, the initial reaction of the people was one of shock and disbelief, and then of sadness and grief. It was difficult to accept the sudden departure of a man admired so much and depended upon so long for firm and capable leadership. The shock extended from the highest leadership to grassroots citizens. Grief was often mixed with disbelief.
Upon hearing the radio broadcast of the President's passing, a lady in the midst of shopping in Taipei exclaimed: "The news came much too suddenly, too unexpectedly. This cannot be true." She asked repeatedly, "Are you sure this is true?" And when finally convinced that it was, tears filled her eyes. But she could not help shaking her head in disbelief. Elsewhere, the employees of a local company were enjoying a birthday party when they learned of the bad news. The company's staff immediately stopped the celebration. The manager explained: "In this situation we have no desire to celebrate a birthday." Many people rushed to the Presidential Office and in tears kneeled down on the pavement for hours, expressing both respect and sorrow.
Although the nation is in sadness and grief, it by no means is in panic or disarray. Some four hours after the President's passing, Vice President Lee Teng-hui was sworn in as the seventh President of the Republic of China in accordance with the Constitution. Lin Yang-kang, president of the Judicial Yuan, administered the oath of office in the presence of top governmental leaders. In a message upon his assumption of office, President Lee vowed to carry out late President Chiang's will "to abide by the Constitution, to protect the security of the nation, to enhance the welfare of the people, and to accomplish the great task of reunifying China under the Three Principles of the People."
The smooth transition in leadership amply demonstrates the vitality and effectiveness of the ROC's constitutional democracy. As Legislator Chao Shao-kang said in a television interview, there were no tanks and troops in the streets as some other nations might have experienced under similar circumstances. The transition is irrefutable evidence that constitutional government is firmly established and in full operation in the ROC.
A 30-day national mourning period began on January 14. During this time, all individuals, groups, and associations—irrespective of political orientations—have put aside their disputes in order to maintain social stability and national solidarity at this time of grief. The self-named opposition "Democratic Progressive Party" convened a special meeting the evening of the late President's passing; after the meeting, acting Chairman Hsu Jung-shu issued an oral statement to express condolences over the President's passing and instructed all "DPP" members to suspend planned demonstrations and related activities during this critical period. The self-named "Labor Party" also issued a statement mourning Chiang's sudden passing and stressing its willingness to cooperate with all political parties and people to maintain stability.
The expressions of national mourning mixed with calls for stability come in recognition of the continuing necessity for the whole nation to stand staunchly and firmly as one because of an undiminished Chinese Communist threat to security. Although the Communist leaders in Peking sent a message to the Central Committee of the Kuomintang in Taipei the day after the death of President Chiang to express their "deep condolences and sincere sympathy to his relatives," all people know that the Peking leaders have not renounced the use of force against the ROC. All military units were put on alert due to the late President's passing, and Defense Minister Cheng Wei-yuan and Chief of the General Staff Hau Pei-tsun presented a message to President Lee on behalf of the armed forces to pledge their allegiance to the new President.
The ruling KMT broadcast a radio message to the mainland to announce the death of President Chiang and the swearing in of Vice President Lee Teng-hui as his successor. The broadcast also urged mainland compatriots to join together to work for the reunification of China under Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People.
Indeed, grief has been turned into national strength. In addition to setting up numerous memorial halls for both Chinese and foreign friends to pay their respects to the late President, Chinese communities and overseas Chinese associations around the world have sent cables of support to President Lee. Although they grieve for the late President, they know very well that it is democracy that has been ruling the ROC, and the normal affairs of state will continue uninterrupted.
Chinese at home and abroad have long been aware that there would be no crisis of presidential succession. On August 16, 1985, President Chiang made this fact clear in an interview with Time magazine: "As President, it is my responsibility to safeguard the Constitution and to maintain democracy and the rule of law. As to the succession to the presidency by a member of the Chiang family, I have never given any consideration to it."
President Chiang, 79, was the son of former President and internationally renowned Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek. He had held office since 1978, when he was first elected to a six-year presidential term. During the first four years of his first term he made every effort to come in close contact with people from all walks of life, and made nearly 200 visits throughout the countryside and stayed more than 150 days with local residents. It was an unprecedented record not only for a Chinese state leader but for foreign leaders as well.
In recent years, much to his disappointment, health problems restricted his travel, but he still repeatedly asked governmental officials to visit the countryside in order to learn firsthand the needs of the people. This personal record and sincere attitude accounted for the deep sense of grief and loss experienced by ordinary citizens everywhere. The tears, memorials, and other expressions of respect conveyed highly personal feelings: the late President was considered by many to be more a father or grandfather than a president.
"He visited us three times and gave us encouragement and spiritual support; he really cared for us," says Hsu Yun-lin, a prisoner serving his sentence on the offshore Pescadores Islands. "When I am released and free to go back to society, I will serve our society to the best of my ability. This is the least I can do in appreciation of the concern the President had for us."
At the Veterans General Hospital memorial hall where President Chiang's remains were temporarily laid to rest, thousands of people began paying homage to their late beloved leader. Veterans fight back tears as they reflect on the times when they were led into combat by the late President, and school children mourn the passing of "Grandfather" Chiang who never missed an opportunity to be with the young. "The only thing I can do for 'Grandpa' Chiang is to study more diligently so that he can smile in heaven," says one student.
With tears running uncontrollably down his face, veteran Chen Chung-ching recalls 1958 when the late President faced enemy fire shoulder to shoulder with the troops in Kinmen. His courage and fearlessness under fire boosted the morale of the soldiers. "Only one month ago, he said that if he had only a mouthful of rice, he would share it with his veteran brothers," sobs 63-year-old veteran Wang Chih-kang, knocking his forehead on the floor in grief. The late President had been chairman of the Vocational Assistance Commission for Retired Servicemen from 1954 to 1967.
World leaders and foreign dignitaries began expressing their condolences for the death of President Chiang immediately after the announcement of his passing. "We and many other Americans greatly admired the President," said U.S. President Ronald Reagan in his cable to Mrs. Chiang Ching-kuo, which was sent also on behalf of the American First Lady. Reagan said: "His wise and farsighted leadership, his devotion to his people, and his personal integrity were recognized as the traits of a truly great man and an outstanding leader." Filipino President Corazon Aquino also expressed sadness on behalf of the Philippines, saying: "His death is certainly a tragic loss for the people in ROC whom he served...with dedication and distinction."
The late President Chiang in fact left behind not only fond memories in the minds of the people, but more importantly left a legacy of great accomplishments that have pushed the nation forward into an era of political democracy. Few national leaders have worked harder, and still fewer have accomplished as much in their public lives. After having successfully paved the way for the ROC's rapid economic growth by embarking in the 1970s on various ambitious programs to expand the nation's infrastructure and upgrade its industrial structure, he then turned his attention to political liberalization and democratization. A series of bold reform programs were announced to the world, which in the last two years have gained worldwide attention. The 38-year-old Emergency Decree that activated martial law has been lifted, foreign exchange restrictions relaxed, the government's press policy liberalized, the formation of new political parties encouraged, and citizens have been allowed to visit their long-separated relatives on the mainland. These changes have shown the world that the ROC on Taiwan is as politically confident in its democratic institutions as it is in its economic strength. These are attitudes and achievements nurtured and expressed by the late President.
"It is no exaggeration to say that the President died with his boots on. He never let his ill health interfere with his work; he was at his office even on the eve of his death," said the English-language China Post in an editorial. And during his last day at the office, the late President was still concerned about continuing the process of political reforms. The local United Daily News reported on January 15 that the late President had summoned Lee Huan, secretary-general of the ruling Kuomintang, to inquire about two reform items—one on parliamentary restructuring and the other on local self-government—then being considered by a 12-member KMT task force. The late President also discussed the reforms with his family on the same day and, according to the news report, expressed hopes that the two items could be implemented as soon as possible.
In order to accomplish Chiang's unfinished tasks, the ruling Kuomintang has decided to go ahead with political reforms. In an interview with the Associated Press on January 15, Ma Ying-jeou, deputy secretary-general of the KMT, confirmed that new reforms would be announced this year in line with the political liberalization policy initiated by the late President. "We believe the time has come for us to move into high gear to a more advanced state of constitutional democracy," he said.
In the speech he delivered after being sworn in, President Lee Teng-hui also promised to continue carrying forward the process of democratic constitutional development. In accordance with the ROC Constitution, he will serve in office until the National Assembly elects a new national leader in 1990 for a full six-year term.
President Lee is well-known for his erudition, insight, and uprightness. He holds an M.A. from Iowa State University and a Ph.D. from Cornell University. His professors remember him well. "I gave him an A-plus in a course on research methods, and I don't give out many A's," said Daniel G. Sisler, a professor of agricultural economics at Cornell. Bernard F. Stanton, a professor in the same department, said that when President Lee was a student he demonstrated qualities which may assist him in the difficult task of dealing with the issues of his country. "Dr. Lee is not a man you are about to push around," he said. "His great strength was his intellectual capacity and his ideas.... He possesses an excellent mind. He was a true Asian in that he was always correct, polite, and a diligent worker."
After entering the political scene in the 1970s, Lee served as the mayor of Taipei from 1978 to 1981, the period when the city transformed into a modern metropolis. After being appointed as governor of Taiwan Province in 1981, he promoted the development of agriculture and the well-being of farmers throughout the island. His accomplishments have been praised by both the people and late President Chiang Ching-kuo. The late President chose him in 1984 as his partner in leading the country's executive office. As the Vice President of the ROC, Lee displayed exceptional abilities in planning and implementing reforms and other innovations.
Starting from his second day in office as President, Lee visited former President Yen Chia-kan, former Vice President Shieh Tung-min, and other senior advisors to discuss national affairs. Under his leadership, the government and people of the Republic of China confidently expect continuing economic prosperity, social stability, and national security.
The final sealing of the late President Chiang's casket will occur on January 30, and his remains will be transferred to Tahsi Town, Taoyuan County where he will temporarily rest. Tahsi is about two kilometers from Tzuhu, the temporary resting place of his father, the late President Chiang Kai-shek. These two locations are called "temporary resting places" because the remains of both leaders will be transferred to their native Chekiang Province for burial when the Chinese mainland is recovered.
As the government and people look back on the life of their beloved late President, they join together in wishing that he rest in peace. He fought the good fight; he was leader and example, and the people of the Republic of China are determined to fulfill his wishes not only for final burial for both him and his father in the mainland, but also for reconstructing a free China for all the Chinese people.